The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale
by Melissa7187
Summary: When Beca finds herself falling in love with her best friend, she comes up with a list of things that she hates about Chloe to stop herself from falling for the one person she can't have. She never thought that Chloe would find the list...
1. Beca Mitchell : The Queen of Bad Ideas

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter One - Beca Mitchell: The Queen of Bad Ideas**

* * *

Here's the thing about Beca Mitchell: She didn't come to college to make friends. When she heard people describing the optimum college experience, she rolled her eyes and called them stupid under her breath. She had no time for classes and studying, internships and extracurricular activities when there was music to be made. She had a year to get her shit together and to make good enough mixes to make it when she finally got out to LA and this college thing was a painful, but necessary evil to get her father to open up his pocketbook and send her on her way.

All of this was true until her shower was invaded one evening by the perkiest person she had ever met and as her eyes wandered and her voice soared in the warm acoustics of the communal bathroom; she felt her entire world flip upside down. Gone were the days of sleeping until noon, lazing around at the radio station, and ignoring Kimmy Jin as she worked all night on her music. Now, she was singing and dancing with a group of misfits, finding herself sandwiched in small booths at diners between the redhead and her dictator best friend as they argued over music, and laughing until her sides ached as her friend_, (who would have thought that would happen?)_, Fat Amy told strange tales about Tasmania and worked Aubrey into a tizzy.

She was still skipping classes and avoiding studying all together, but somehow she had become friends with these girls and it was ruining her. The music was coming less frequently as her afternoons and evenings were filled with vocal practices, cardio sessions, and bonding time. She found herself actually enjoying 'Karaoke Fridays' and late night movie sessions, which were just an excuse to gossip and pig out on junk food under Aubrey's watchful eye. They went clubbing in Atlanta and took a trip one weekend to the beach in Florida and to her complete and utter shock, she was enjoying every minute of it.

Don't get her wrong, it was still shamefully dorky to rock out to mid-90s pop jams, but for the first time she had actual friends that were girls and while it was strange to her that they all seemed to like her, it wasn't unwelcome. Plus, the upside of all of this time spent with the Bellas was the proximity to a certain redhead that they afforded. Chloe went to everything and practically attached herself to Beca's hip any chance that she got. They were close and it had happened quickly, just like the drunken girl had predicted during hood night, but it was also very welcome to Beca and even though she would roll her eyes and smirk when Chloe would get overly touchy, she secretly enjoyed it.

What she didn't expect though were the other feelings that she was getting from the ginger. The way that they would stare at each other frequently at practices, only looking away when the other noticed, or how Chloe's eyes would practically haunt her dreams at night (_Seriously, how could one person's eyes be so annoyingly haunting and blue? Not a normal dark blue like her own, but the kind that told you a whole story just by looking into them and captivated you while breaking your heart at the same time._) The way that she would raise an eyebrow before shoving or tackling Beca over a droll comment that she would make and how she would sneak up behind her just to catch her off guard with a hug. The practices where Chloe would insist that she needed to be hands-on for Beca to understand the choreography and the moments when she would lean into the senior and feel completely safe.

She could easily call Chloe her best friend and these feelings couldn't happen under any circumstances. She had lost too many guy friends when an easy friendship turned uncomfortable over a crush and this wasn't going to happen again. Plus, Chloe didn't even like girls (_She had been showering with a guy before she sang with her and she was pretty sure that they weren't __**just **__washing their hair) _and this was an easy way to ruin the best thing about Barden. So, Beca did the only thing that made sense to her and came up with a list of things that she hated about Chloe Beale. A list to stop herself from falling in love with the one person she couldn't have and to get her constant thoughts of the girl out of her head and onto paper.

* * *

Here's another thing about Beca Mitchell: She's the queen of bad ideas. The girl that thinks a shower room is a safe place to belt out "lady jams". Who tosses her rape whistle in the trash as soon as she gets the chance, even though she's pretty sure that Atlanta is a dangerous city and that she has the strength of a child and could never fight someone off. The girl that thinks watching a movie with a guy friend in a darkened room won't lead to awkward near kisses and strained conversations. Someone that thinks that she can just be friends with someone like Chloe and leave it at that.

So, when it came to dealing with her feelings, Beca thought that the best possible solution was to make a list of all of her crush's faults and to leave it (_Not on purpose!_) in a place where the aforementioned shower-invader could easily find it. All of that wasn't so bad, but she was dealing with a person who had few boundaries and who had flipped through her iPod and raided her closet the very first time that Beca had invited her over. A bad idea was describing it graciously, in actuality it was a completely train wreck and Beca was the girl tied to the tracks as it all went down, unable to move or say anything to save herself from her latest screw-up.

* * *

Beca shouldn't have been surprised when Chloe strolled through her door on a Thursday evening (_The one night when everything seemed to go wrong_), holding a stack of movies in one hand and a pizza in the other. She hadn't been invited and didn't even bother to knock on the door, but that was classically Chloe and Beca even found it somewhat charming as she fumbled with the door and smiled her soul-crushing smile as she announced "Surprise! It's movie night!"

"Seriously? We just had movie night on Sunday and I can't bear to sit through another romantic comedy again. I might have to kill myself and you can blame Katherine Heigl for it." Beca shook her head as Chloe flung the DVDs onto her desk and slid her Mac shut, knowing that there was no way that she would be getting any work done tonight. "Is she in every sappy movie or just the ones that you guys like?"

"She's in pretty much all of them." Chloe shrugged as she placed the pizza onto the bed and motioned for Beca to grab a piece. "So, what were you working on? Can I listen?"

"One day, but not tonight. It's not finished and I don't like to let anyone listen to my stuff until it's perfect. Besides, we have movies to watch now and pizza to eat. What kind did you get anyway? Please tell me that you got a supreme because every movie night I hope that someone will give in and order one, but it's always pepperoni and cheesy garbage. You haven't lived until you've eaten a pizza with everything on it."

"Yes, I got you a supreme", Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes. "I was tired of hearing you complain every time we order in and I'll suffer through the peppers and onions just for you. I forgot drinks though, so I hope you have something in your fridge or it's just going to be water and pizza and that sounds pretty gross."

"Yeah, I have some stuff. Besides, if I didn't, we could just raid Kimmy's fridge and steal some of hers. I'd protect you from her angry Korean wrath because you brought me pizza and now I am eternally in your debt."Beca winked as she stood from her desk, grabbing the pizza off of the bed and wincing when she saw a grease stain on her comforter, but choosing to ignore it as she placed the box on Kimmy's bare desk.

Chloe flung herself backwards across Beca's sofa bed and said "Now you're being dramatic. The only thing you owe me is to get your ass out of your chair and to lay down with me and watch this movie. Aubrey is being a major pain and I need you to distract me before I kill her."

She rubbed at the small stain on the bed, frowning when it didn't wipe away and asked "Have you seen _Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion_? It's pretty much the best movie ever and I know that I say that about all of them, but I'm for serious about this. You're going to actually like it and it's going to change your mind about movies being stupid. I'm going to be a hero because of this and you're going to thank me when it's done. I aca-guarantee it."

"Don't start that, you'll sound just like Aubrey and I'll have to kick you out. It's nice to see that you're just using me to get away from her for the evening, but I don't blame you and I guess I can give up on this one mix for you." She smirked as she opened up her mini-fridge and asked "Now, what do you want to drink? I have water and _Gatorade_ and _Coke_."

Chloe had stood up and was loading the DVD into Kimmy's player when she answered "Um…_Coke_ is fine. Why do you have _Gatorade_? Are Aubrey's workouts wearing you out that much? You must really be out of shape!"

Beca opened up her own can of soda and was about to respond to Chloe's remark, when she tripped over her boots that she had left in the middle of the floor, and fell into her desk, catching herself with her palms but spilling the can in the process. As the dark liquid started to run across the wooden surface of the desk, it inched towards her laptop and DJ equipment and Beca's eyes widened as she gasped "Oh shit! Napkins, I need napkins!"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Bleeding?" Chloe rushed across the room, placing a worried hand on Beca's back and staring down at her anxiously.

"I have to get some from the bathroom. Move my laptop before it gets ruined. I'll be back."

Chloe watched as the younger girl bolted from the room and quickly picked Beca's Mac up, placing it on the bed before returning to the desk to clear off the other pricey equipment. As she shoved Beca's DJ stuff towards the corner of her desk, she spotted a small journal that had been hidden under a stack of blank CDs and tossed it onto the bed, frowning as it bounced off of the mattress and landed on the floor.

She left the desk and went to pick up the open journal, holding it in her hands and starting to shut it when her eyes caught a glimpse of her name on the page and she couldn't stop herself from reading what had been written about her. She knew that it was wrong and terribly invasive, but she liked Beca and hoped that maybe she would read a confession of love or attraction in the cramped handwriting that filled the page. She couldn't have been more wrong though and her mouth fell open as she read through the incomplete list on the page.

Beca had slipped back into the room a moment later and froze when she saw Chloe reading her private journal. She crossed the small distance between them and yanked it out of her hands, holding it tightly and frowning at Chloe, who couldn't meet her eye. She ran a hand through her hair, forgetting completely about the mess on her desk, and snapped "What the hell, Chloe?! I know that you're nosy, but that's my journal and **everyone**, even people without any boundaries like yourself, knows that a journal is off limits. I can't believe that you read my journal! Did you actually open it up and read through it or was it an accident?"

When Chloe looked up at her with teary eyes, Beca knew that something was up, and raised an eyebrow as Chloe hurriedly swiped her hand across her eyes and started to walk towards the door. As she reached down to grab her purse, she looked up at Beca and replied "I'm sorry, it fell open when I tried to save it from your mess. Maybe you can put this on your list too. You can really round it out and use this as reason number ten to hate me."

Beca's mouth fell open at her words and as she looked down at the page held open by her thumb, she paled and knew that she was in trouble now. Somehow, by some twist of fate or curse, it had fallen open to the page that had scrolled across the top in big bold letters: **The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**. She wanted desperately to sink through the floor as the realization settled in and she softly murmured "Chlo, it's…it's not what you think. I don't hate you…"

"Sure, you just made that list for fun. It's all just a joke, right?" Chloe shook her head as her lip quivered with emotion and opened up the door. "You do something like that and then act completely comfortable with me all the time. You were going to watch a movie and lay in bed with someone that you hate? That's really messed up Beca, even for you, so I think I'm going to leave. I'll see you tomorrow at practice."

As Chloe left the room quickly, Beca tried to follow after her but was met with the door slamming in her face. She had screwed up big time and once she cleaned up her desk and put everything back, she called and texted Chloe all night but didn't get a response back.

She had chased away the one person that she thought was unmovable and tomorrow would be even worse when Aubrey would undoubtedly know about it and make her life at practice a living hell. She was an idiot and a screw-up and dead once Aubrey got a hold of her.

* * *

**A/N: If you're reading my other stuff, I'm not taking a break from it and it will get finished. This is just a distraction from the angst-fest and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Aubrey Posen : A-Ca-Bitch!

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Two- Aubrey Posen: A-Ca-Bitch!**

* * *

When Beca arrived at practice fashionably late the next afternoon, she immediately knew that something was up when she didn't hear singing or dancing or Aubrey barking out orders. As she slipped into the auditorium through the side entrance and walked over to their rehearsal space, all of the girls looked up at her and Fat Amy frantically waved at her, pointing at the door and mouthing for Beca to leave. It was too late though and Beca froze as Aubrey spun around from the grease board that she was writing on and tersely announced "It's so nice of you to grace us with your presence, Beca! Apparently we can set our own rehearsal times without consulting with me. Thankfully, you haven't missed much since I'm making practice notes for us, so sit down before I decide to be decidedly less democratic with you."

As Aubrey turned back around and stiffly worked on a new flow chart for the group, Beca slipped into an empty chair next to Cynthia Rose and whispered "What the hell is going on? She looks like she's about to flip and you guys haven't even started yet. Where's Chloe?"

"We don't know what's up Aubrey's ass, but she's not happy about something and she hasn't said much of anything", Cynthia answered with an arch of an eyebrow. "I got here a little early and Red came in with Aubrey and they were talking about something and then she left. She looked pretty upset and they weren't exactly fighting, but you could tell that something's up. Aubrey's been like this ever since and we've just been sitting here and watching her make this chart. Amy asked her when we were starting and Aubrey snapped at her and looked like she wanted to kill her." Cynthia smiled at Beca as she took everything in and warned "That look she gave you when you walked in though…I'd leave now if I were you, B."

"I'm not afraid of her and what's the worst that she can do? Puke on me?" Beca asked as she shook her head in exasperation. "I think I'll take my chances and stick it out with you guys."

Cynthia managed a weak smile in Beca's direction and turned to whisper with Stacie, who was on her other side. As Beca looked back up at Aubrey, she could see how tense her body was as she scribbled on the board and knew that she was dead. If she had been fighting with Chloe and let her skip practice, then she knew about what had happened and from the death glare that she shot her when she came in, Aubrey was angry about it. Either way, she was a goner and could only grip the sides of her chair as she imagined just what Aubrey would have in store for her as a punishment.

* * *

When Aubrey eventually turned around five minutes later and faced the rest of the Bellas, a noticeable chill passed through the air as they all saw how upset she looked. Her face was set in a stony glare and as her eyes passed over each of their faces, she eventually stopped on Beca and raised an eyebrow in warning as a slight smirk played on her lips. It only increased as she saw Beca gulp and she cleared her throat and proclaimed "Sorry for the delay, but I had to make some changes to our diagram for winning the ICCAs. After last week's near disaster at regionals, our plans have changed and we're going to need to be more aggressive with our practices and preparation. I won't be embarrassed at sectionals and they're only a few weeks away, so we need to get our shit together starting now. I wish Chloe was here so we could work on our choreography, but she's not feeling well today and instead we'll run through our set a few times and then focus on cardio. I'm going to whip you guys into shape and it starts today."

As the girls erupted in protests and groans at the thought of running the stairs, Aubrey clapped her hands together and shouted "Enough! No protesting, this is the way it is. If you have a problem with it, you're more than welcome to quit right now."

When no one stood to leave, Aubrey pursed her lips and nodded. As she caught Beca's eye again, she motioned for them to stand up and said "Good, I expect a good effort today since you're all on board. Let's start at the top then, shall we?"

* * *

They managed to get through one performance of their set for sectionals before Aubrey started to freak out. The dancing was off, no one could seem to stay in tune, and the whole performance was halfhearted. After seeing what the Trebles could do and experimenting with new stuff at the riff off, going back to this set list felt like torture and Aubrey's attitude wasn't making it any better. Without Chloe there to be the saner and much kinder half of their duo, Aubrey was free to do and say whatever she wanted and she was now on the verge of a breakdown. She wouldn't let it get to her though and ordered them to compose themselves as they started again from the top.

As she pranced across the makeshift stage during her solo in _I Saw The Sign_, Aubrey tried to smile and power through it but was distracted as she heard giggling coming from the girls. It got louder as she continued to sing and by the time she finished it, she cut off Jessica who was filling in on Chloe's solos, and walked over to Amy and Stacie who were in near hysterics. Once she was in front of Amy, she raised an eyebrow and asked "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the group, Amy? Or you Stacie? You both seemed to be amused and there's nothing funny about _Ace of Base_, so it must be something else and I think we're all dying to hear it."

"We look so stupid doing these dance moves", Stacie replied with a sarcastic laugh. "We're dressed like flight attendants and what's with the pointing? We're supposed to be performing, not directing people to their seats. Are we seriously keeping this set list?"

"Yes, this is a solid set list that's going to get us through to nationals", Aubrey answered with a terse nod. "Now, since you two are distracting the rest of the group, you're going to run a lap around the auditorium and then join us back here when you're ready to be serious about this."

As Amy started to protest, Aubrey gave her a warning look and Amy managed a pitiful "Yes sir" before jogging off with Stacie.

While they ran and the other girls watched, Aubrey stood in front of them and cryptically warned "The same goes for the rest of you. Since none of you can seem to focus, any screw-ups from now until the rest of practice will result in one lap around the auditorium."

Once the words left her lips and the girls stiffened up to compose themselves, none daring to question her decision in fear of being punished, Aubrey focused her attention on Beca and shot her a glare as Beca stared dumbly back at her.

She was screwed.

* * *

Beca was the next victim of Aubrey's punishment as they ran through the set list for a second time and Aubrey observed them from the front. They had made it through their first song relatively fine, but as _Eternal Flame_ started they fell apart at the change in tempo and Aubrey pounced. She motioned for them to cut it off and approached Beca, who was worrying her lip and staring at her feet as she knew that she was the one that had messed up.

"Seriously, Beca, how difficult is it to make a heart with your hands?" Aubrey asked with a frown. "That was practically a square and you look ridiculous. Go run a lap while we keep going."

Beca just rolled her eyes as she jogged away from them group and they started to perform again but didn't get too far before Aubrey cut them off again. They had launched into _Turn The Beat Around_ and as Amy destroyed the solo, Aubrey caught Stacie feeling herself up as she danced and stopped them. Once the busty brunette was sent away to run the stairs, they started again but it didn't last long before Cynthia Rose stumbled over her feet as she watched Stacie's breasts bouncing as she ran the steps. This resulted in her joining her crush and Aubrey seething in disgust as she tried once again to rally her troops.

By the time their fourth run through of the performance started, all of the girls were exhausted and had each been sent to run laps over various mistakes that they had made. It was painfully obvious that they weren't going to get any better and as Beca was called out for her sixth mistake, a benchmark for the day, she flipped. With Aubrey's steely eyes glaring at her and the other girls murmuring under their breath, Beca felt something snap and asked "Seriously Aubrey, what the hell is this? You're acting like a drill sergeant and this isn't that serious. I'm sorry that I missed the intro, _again_, but I can't concentrate when Chloe isn't singing the solo to bring us in. No offense Jessica, you sound great, but it isn't the same without her here and maybe you could loosen up a little. Are you trying to give one of us a heart attack?"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you did what you did." Aubrey shook her head as Beca started to run towards the steps. "It's not _my _fault that she's not here. Since you're giving me lip, add two more laps to your punishment."

As Beca stopped running and glared back at her, the other girls fell silent and Amy said "Awkward…"

Aubrey eyes were immediately on Amy's and the Australian tried not to laugh as she replied "I'll just start running now."

* * *

Everything fell apart a few minutes later when Amy couldn't hit her high notes in _Turn The Beat Around_ and called Aubrey an a-ca-bitch when she was told to run another lap. The other girls had dissolved into laughter at the insult and as Aubrey's lip quivered in anger, she ordered them all to run a lap for their disruption. After they finished running it and stood in front of Aubrey gulping down water and breathing heavily, Aubrey took pity on them and called off the rest of practice.

The girls were ecstatic as they hurriedly grabbed their stuff and ran out of the auditorium, leaving only Aubrey and Beca alone to hash things out. Aubrey was silent as she watched Beca continue to run the extra laps that she had been given as punishment and after she ran the steps two more times, she went to get her things and kept her eyes downcast to avoid catching Aubrey's attention and being forced to have an awkward conversation.

Beca had picked up her bag and was about to leave when Aubrey stood in front of her and said "I don't think so, Beca. I'm not letting you leave without thanking you. I'd like to thank you for hurting Chloe yesterday. I really enjoyed listening to her cry for an hour last night while I was trying to cram for a test."

"I don't know what you're talking about Aubrey, but I am sorry that she was upset about something. Can I go now?" Beca asked while rolling her eyes.

As Beca took a step forward, Aubrey stopped her and replied "I know you can't help it, but don't play dumb with me. I know about the list and frankly, I'm a little creeped out by it. That's serial killer shit and I need to know if you're secretly a psycho or a murderer or something like that. Have you made a list like that for all of us?"

"You wish, Aubrey" Beca countered with a scoff. "**Again**, I have no idea what you're talking about and I just want to go back to my dorm and get a shower since someone decided to act like a psycho at rehearsals today. If we have to run laps like that again, I'm definitely quitting and then you'll be screwed."

"Don't threaten me, Mitchell." Aubrey thrust her arm out to stop the girl from leaving the room. "I know that you're only here for Chloe and you won't see her if you quit the Bellas, which is why I don't understand why you would insult her like you did with that list. Hurting her is like kicking a puppy and she has been nothing but nice to you, so I don't get it. What is there to possibly hate about Chloe?"

"You wouldn't get it, Aubrey."

"Oh, I get it. In fact, I've come up with a little list of my own. I did a little better than you though, since I came up with _fifteen_ things that I hate about you. Would you like to hear them?" Aubrey questioned with a smirk.

"Seriously? Who's the psycho now?" Beca laughed incredulously but stopped immediately when the glare from Aubrey let her know that she was serious. "Let me sit down so I can hear this list. I'm sure it'll be very…enlightening."

* * *

As Aubrey sunk onto a folding chair across from Beca, she cleared her throat and said "The first thing I hate about you is the stupid earrings that you have in your ears. How are those ear monstrosities comfortable? And I hate the way that you do your makeup. You use way too much eye shadow and I've been meaning to ask you if _Kiss_ taught you how to apply it."

Beca smirked at Aubrey's insult, but couldn't get a word out as Aubrey immediately continued with "The third thing I hate about you is that you think plaid is a color and wear it constantly. A nice solid wouldn't kill you every once in a while. The fourth thing that I hate about you is that you wear those stupid combat boots every day. Are you a soldier in your spare time or do you just think that they make you look badass? Newsflash: they don't!"

"Really Aubrey, that's the best that you could come up with?" Beca replied with a laugh. "Those are all just physical things and I change them whenever we perform, so it's not like they're hurting you. What else have you got? This list has been pretty lame so far, but I guess I was expecting that considering the source."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow at the subtle dig but kept going with the list, undeterred. "I hate that you dismiss any music that you haven't tampered with and act like some kind of music snob. I hate that you half-ass it at rehearsals and put zero effort into anything. You **can **actually dance and you have a little bit of rhythm and it's embarrassing to see you slouch around here like some kind of burnout. What number am I on now?"

"Um…seven, I think." Beca looked down at her lap, her face starting to burn as Aubrey's words started to hit home. She was **serious**.

"That sounds about right", Aubrey countered with a curt nod. "Number seven: I hate that you act like you're some kind of bad ass, when you're really not. You're so normal that it's kind of laughable to see you try to act cool and rebellious and no one is buying it."

The last barb stung a little and the smirk slipped off of Beca's lips as she slowly nodded her head. As she looked up at Aubrey and caught her eye, she frowned and mumbled "You can stop now, I get it. It's really not that funny anymore."

"I'm not done. I have eight more and I want you to feel like Chloe did last night. Until then, you **don't** get it." Aubrey shook her head and glared at Beca. _How does she expect to get off so easily_?

"The eighth thing that I hate about you is that you get to come here for free, but act like it's this huge burden on you or something. Maybe if you lightened up and actually tried to enjoy yourself, you'd see that you have a huge opportunity here and that you're wasting it. Number nine: I hate that you refuse to do a solo. You're a good singer and it would help the group to have you solo, but you won't to prove some point. It would make Chloe so happy and you're so selfish that you can't see beyond yourself and your little agenda-"

"Jesus Christ, I get it!" Beca snapped while standing up. "You don't like me and that's fine, but I'm not selfish. I could've left this group multiple times, but I'm still here dealing with your crap. Don't bring Chloe in on this either. I don't want to talk about her with you and she was never supposed to find that list. I'm sorry that she found it, but this is a conversation that I should be having with her and definitely not with you. I'm leaving now."

* * *

Beca started to leave the auditorium again, but Aubrey wouldn't let her and grabbed the belt loops of her pants to keep her from storming away. Beca glared at the blonde standing in front of her and exclaimed "What?! What is so important that you won't let me leave? Touch me again and you're going to have a black eye."

"Just tell me why, Beca. She's been nothing but nice to you and you guys are friends. Why would you make a list like that?" Aubrey asked while releasing her grip on Beca's belt. "I know you didn't mean for her to find it, but she doesn't understand why and neither do I. Did she do something to you to piss you off? She can be kind of a flake sometimes and maybe if you just told her she could fix it. What's going on? You have to tell me now because it's affecting the Bellas and I'm the captain. What's wrong?"

"Please just let me go, Aubrey. There's nothing wrong and I'm an idiot and she's never going to talk to me again." Beca looked down at her feet and avoided Aubrey's probing glare as she blushed. "I'm quitting the Bellas too since this is a distraction that you guys don't need."

Aubrey put her hand on Beca's arm and tried to comfort her, even though she didn't deserve it. "You're not quitting, I won't let you. I just…she's the one person that has stuck up for you this whole time and you push her away! You don't understand that you hurt her when you do that and she acts like nothing bothers her, but it really does. Seriously, what is your deal?"

Beca closed her eyes as her annoyance with Aubrey reached peak levels and she couldn't stop herself when she blurted out "I like her, Aubrey!"

"Well, everyone likes Chloe. She's so nice to everyone and it's actually kind of sickening, but that's just how she is. She acts like she's desperate to be everyone's friend, but that's so stupid because practically everyone on campus knows and loves her."

Beca sighed at how dense Aubrey could be sometimes and as a blush made its way onto her neck and face, she softly murmured "No, not like that. I um…I _**like **_like her."

Aubrey froze once the words left Beca's lips and glared up at Beca as she studied her face, trying to make sure that she wasn't playing with her. When Beca averted her eyes and blushed, Aubrey knew that she was serious and let her jaw drop open as she said "Aca-scuse me?"

"I'm pretty much in love with her and believe me, you're the last person that I wanted to be saying this to." Beca looked down at her hands, squeezing them together and begging herself to keep her nerve. "Don't tell her, Aubrey. I don't think that she likes me and I just…I don't want to lose her as a friend. I'll chill out and act normal around her, but please don't say anything."

Aubrey was pale now and looked disgusted as everything started to sink in. The lingering glances, the way that Beca would get squirmy whenever Chloe would touch her, the nights when she stayed over at their dorm room for way longer than necessary, the way that…that Chloe would smile when she talked about her. Oh dear God, her best friend was in love with the hobbit and Beca actually liked her back!

"This is all too much!" Aubrey announced, suddenly sweating and overwhelmed. "There are thousands of people at this school, but it had to be you! Of all the people on this campus to fall in love with my roommate, it had to be the one person whose main goal in life is to piss me off." Aubrey lurched from the chair and groaned before announcing "I'm going to be sick!"

Beca watched as Aubrey ran to the nearest garbage can and as her dry heaves filled the air, Beca groaned and covered her face with her hands. Once the gasping breaths turned into actual vomiting moments later, Beca shook her head and said "I'm aca-fucked."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm terrible! Anyway, I have about 10k words to write to finish off**_ **Keep Breathing**_**, so it's going to be a few days before this gets updated again. I think the length of this makes up for that a little though.**

**Anyway, thanks for all of the reviews and yes, I changed it from humor to angst. Now, I need some help. When I made an outline for this story a few months ago, I had a tentative list of the actual 10 things in mind, but I'm not really a fan of them now. I'm going to write about what they are in probably a one shot format (I'll say what the thing is and then write a little short about why), but need some suggestions. If you have something in mind that you would like to see written, leave it in a review or a pm and I'll write it. Here's an example: Beca hates that Chloe cries at everything or Beca hates that Chloe turns everything into innuendo. Oops...just gave away the next two chapters...**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chloe Beale : The Queen of Innuendo

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Chloe Beale- The Queen of Innuendo**

* * *

~Present Day~

As Beca threw herself across her couch bed, she buried her face in her pillow and let out a low groan of disgust at the events of the day. After Aubrey had finished puking, she had berated Beca for ten straight minutes and threatened to rip her heart out of her chest if she hurt Chloe in any way. Beca had promised her repeatedly that she wouldn't do that but Aubrey didn't seem to believe her, shaking her head in utter disbelief at Beca and leaving the auditorium mumbling under her breath.

Beca had begged her not to say anything to Chloe and she knew that she probably wouldn't because she had acted like a grade-A asshole at practice today and wouldn't want Chloe to know about it; but the possibility of Aubrey outing her was still there and she knew that she was screwed. She would have to tell Chloe first and if she didn't want to be friends anymore, Beca would just have to accept it and move on.

The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach was growing at the thought of not having Chloe as a friend and she couldn't help herself as she slid her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and pulled up Chloe's name under her contacts. She second guessed herself for a moment, but shook her head to rid her mind of the thoughts and tapped out a short message: "_Chloe, I'm sorry. Please come over and talk to me. I want to explain._"

She gave Chloe a few minutes to text her back and when she didn't, Beca contemplated putting the pillow over her face and pushing down. Hard. As she reached for it, she saw her journal out of the corner of her eye and grabbed that instead, flipping to the page that had ruined everything and reading over the dumb list. What had she been thinking? Maybe Aubrey was right. Maybe she was a psycho. Chloe would never want her after this.

She remembered the night that she had started this list. It was a crisp October night and she had written in the journal with a flashlight in one hand, since it was after two in the morning and Kimmy was asleep, and a pen tightly clutched between her fingers on her left hand. She had written the first reason down that night; the night that she realized that her feelings towards Chloe were more than just friendly and that she was quite possibly falling in love with her friend.

* * *

_1. I hate that Chloe has to turn everything into innuendo. It's like I can't be around her without thinking about sex or having sex with her or her naked or how good she looked in the shower. She's bringing out my inner teenage boy and it's DRIVING ME CRAZY! I don't even like chicks…but there's something about her that's…she's going to __**KILL ME **__before this semester is over__**.**_

* * *

~October~

It was just after eleven when Beca's phone lit up from a text and as she closed the lid on her Mac, a small smile grew on her lips when she saw who it was from. It was from Chloe and it read: "_Hey, r u asleep? Bree and I r going to the diner. Want to come?"_

Beca looked down at her watch and frowned when she saw how late it was. Who went out to eat at this time of night? She wanted to spend time with Chloe though and hurriedly texted back: "_I'm_ _up. The diner sounds great. Where r u?_"

Moments later, Beca heard a soft knock at her door and opened it, biting back a smile when she saw Chloe standing there with her cell phone in her hand and a huge grin on her face. Beca shook her head in disbelief and said "I can't believe you were standing out here. What if I had said no?"

"I would have snuck out of here like a creeper", Chloe deadpanned with a shrug. "Come on, grab your coat and let's go. Bree and Amy are outside and we shouldn't keep them waiting."

Beca dashed back into the room, grabbing her pea coat and purse, before following Chloe out of her building and to Aubrey's waiting SUV. Chloe opened the back door for her and Beca climbed into the older Blazer, smiling at Amy who was stretched out on the backseat and who had clearly made herself at home.

Aubrey looked back as Beca flung Amy's legs off of the seat and snapped out "Seriously, Amy? Are you three? No feet on the seats!"

Amy laughed at Aubrey's words and as they pulled away, she slid her legs back up onto the seat and rested her feet in Beca's lap. Beca didn't mind though and just shot her a smile, knowing that she was trying to rile Aubrey up and how sweet Aubrey's reaction would be once she found out.

The ride to the diner was comfortable and Aubrey and Chloe talked softly in the front of the car about new choreography while Amy texted one of her many boyfriends and Beca just observed. She was good at just watching people and listening and for once, no one seemed to mind.

They drove out to the middle of nowhere and after fifteen minutes, pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. As the girls piled out of the car and walked towards the empty restaurant, Beca flashed a wry grin at Aubrey and said "Nice restaurant, guys. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were going to dump my body out here or something, Aubrey."

"Nice." Aubrey shook her head as Chloe laughed. "This is a Bellas tradition and Chloe and I have been coming here since freshman year. You should be honored that we're passing it on to you two. Now come on, let's get in there so we can get **our** booth."

As Chloe and Aubrey rushed towards the entrance of the building, Amy smiled at Beca and quipped "I don't think that's going to be a problem since we're the only people here. Some tradition, huh?"

"Just go with it. A nostalgic Aubrey is better than a bitchy Aubrey any day of the week."

* * *

When they got inside, Beca was surprised to see several truck drivers inside drinking coffee and trying to stay awake before going out on the road. Apparently they had parked their trucks around the back of the building and looked up at the girls with disinterest before turning their attention back to sipping from their mugs and reading the newspaper.

Aubrey led them to a booth in the back of the restaurant and Amy sat next to her while Beca sat on the other side and Chloe slid in, pushing Beca's body up against the wall and practically tackling her as she sat down next to her. Beca instantly felt fluttering in her stomach from the contact and looked down at her lap as her face became warm suddenly. What was this girl doing to her?

An older waitress came by with menus and as Beca flipped through it, Amy and Aubrey bantered back and forth about music and dancing and the set list. Beca wasn't sure what to get this late at night and felt awkward asking any of them what they were getting. It was too late for dinner and way too early for breakfast and she felt embarrassed that she was worrying over something this stupid, but that was just how socially awkward she was.

As she looked over her menu, Chloe slowly inched closer and closer to her and before she knew it, Chloe's hand was resting on her leg and she could feel those bright baby blues staring a hole through her face. When Beca looked up, Chloe hurriedly looked away and softly asked "So, what are you getting?"

"I'm not sure." Beca hummed softly while looking back down at her menu. "Probably pancakes or something like that. What are you ordering?"

Chloe's face lit up when Beca asked her the question and she bit her lip before she announced "Chocolate cream pie and coffee."

Beca was about to tease her about eating chocolate this late at night, but Aubrey beat her to it and said "She's gotten the same thing every time we've come here for the past four years. Their coffee is nasty and the pie is ridiculously fattening, but you can always count on Chlo ordering it. If you guys are going to make this a tradition, don't be a Chloe and be interesting with your choices."

"Bite me, Bree." Chloe rolled her eyes at her friend and stifled a laugh when she glared back. "I like good food and this is the best." As Aubrey shook her head at Chloe and asked Amy what she was ordering, Chloe pulled Beca's hand in hers and said "Get whatever you want. Make your own traditions and be boring if you want. I think being a Chloe isn't all that bad."

Beca beamed back at her and squeezed her hand for a moment, relaxing in how it soothed her nerves and made her feel completely comfortable in the unfamiliar environment. She was about to ask Chloe about her classes when the waitress came back and took their orders. To Beca's relief, Aubrey and Amy both ordered breakfast too and she allowed herself to smile when the waitress automatically knew Chloe's order. The tradition was fun and the restaurant was kitschy and it was nice to actually hang out with other girls for the first time…ever.

* * *

As they waited for the meals to arrive, Chloe sipped her coffee and offered the cup to Beca to try. She didn't like coffee all that much, but Aubrey told her that she had to try it at least once and Beca tried not to spit the liquid out as it burnt her mouth and left an awful taste behind. She thrust the cup back into Chloe's hands and exclaimed "Dude, how can you drink that? It's burnt and so strong that it could take the paint off of these walls. You're so weird."

"You learn to like it." Chloe smiled as she took another sip from her mug. "So, what kind of music are you into? I noticed the tattoo on your wrist and anyone who gets headphones inked on them must be a music fan."

Beca smiled and shot back "You have a ladybug tattoo. Does that make you a bug fan?"

"Maybe. That's a story for another time though." Chloe giggled and took another sip of her coffee. "So, what do you like? I bet you like gangster rap and metal. You look the type."

"You wish. I'm not that interesting. I guess I like a little bit of everything. I like indie stuff and classic rock and a lot of dance music right now. Anything that can be remixed is good." Beca shrugged as a shy smile played on her lips. "What about you? What's on rotation on your mp3 player?"

When Chloe raised an eyebrow, Beca felt her face grow a little red and mumbled "You take it with you everywhere. I can see it sticking out of your pocket and anytime I see you on campus, you have your ear buds in. Can I look at it?"

Chloe nodded shyly and slid the player out of her pocket and placed it onto Beca's palm, nervous suddenly about being judged by this music buff and a little excited at the fact that Beca had noticed something as trivial as her taking her player everywhere. She watched Beca anxiously as she turned the player on and sarcastically pled "Don't make fun of me. I have a lot of boy bands on there."

"Seriously?" Amy laughed from across the table, suddenly perking up and taking interest in their conversation. "Okay, who did you like more as a kid, _N'Sync_ or _The Backstreet Boys_?"

Chloe bit her lip as she thought for a moment and answered "Definitely _N'Sync_. They were so much cuter than _The Backstreet Boys_ and I always had a thing for Lance. I love a man who can hit a low note."

"So that's why you're with Tom!" Aubrey teased with a smirk growing on her lips. "I've heard you two sometimes and he definitely…well, he has a special kind of range. I'm going to invest in earplugs soon."

Chloe's mouth dropped open and as she reached across the table to shove Aubrey playfully, the waitress arrived with refills and the girls settled down and occasionally giggled as they sipped from their full cups. Beca couldn't stop herself from smiling as Amy started to fight with Aubrey over their favorite boy bands and as Amy threatened to kick Aubrey when she revealed that she thought AJ was weird looking, she dissolved into giggles and looked up to see Chloe beaming down at her. The red head seemed to delight in seeing Beca happy and Beca just smiled at her and bumped into her playfully with her shoulder as she took a long sip from her glass of soda and tried not to spit it out as Amy continued to crack them up with one liners.

* * *

After a minute more of scanning through the player, Beca leaned a little closer to Chloe and asked "So, what's your favorite music to listen to? You have a bunch of different stuff on your player, but what can't you live without?"

"I like everything. I listen to music all the time and I like pretty much any kind." Chloe thought for a moment, taking a sip from her coffee before continuing. "I have playlists on there if you want to check them out. I have songs to get to sleep with and songs to listen to when I'm sad or when I'm working out and um…lady jams, too."

Beca blushed at the reminder of their shower together and as Chloe giggled at flustering the freshman, Beca scrolled to the playlist that was succinctly labeled "Lady Jams" and read through it.

Chloe watched her for a moment and said "What are you looking at? Are you looking at my lady jams?! That's gross, Bec."

Aubrey's glass clanked against the table as she set it down heavily and sighed "Really, Chloe? We're discussing this in public? Nice."

"What's a lady jam?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow as her curiosity grew. "It sounds…interesting."

"You **don't** want to know", Aubrey replied while shaking her head.

* * *

As Beca looked at the list of songs, she smiled when she saw one of her favorite songs on the list and said "You like T. Rex? _20__th__ Century Boy_ is one of my favorite songs ever. I didn't know that you like classic rock."

"I'm not just a fan of the fluffy stuff. I have some layers and yeah, I love old rock 'n roll. My dad raised us on that stuff. Besides, that song has the best guitar and groove. It's like the perfect lady jam." Chloe grinned as she snatched the player back from Beca.

"That's a little too much information", Beca replied with a blush. "So, have you listened to any of their other stuff?" When Chloe shook her head, Beca smiled and found herself flirting when she slyly suggested "You should listen to _Bang A Gong_. It really builds and it would probably be nice to…_listen_ to."

Beca felt her face become bright red as the words tumbled out of her mouth and couldn't believe that she had just suggested a song for Chloe to…have _personal_ time with.

Chloe just smiled though and pushed against Beca playfully as she murmured "Yeah, I'll have to listen to it. Tom hasn't been around too much lately with school getting busy and I could use all the lady jams that I can get."

Beca squirmed awkwardly at Chloe's words and blushed again when Chloe bit her lip at how wound up she had made the DJ. What the hell was this girl doing to her?

* * *

A little while later their food arrived and as Beca started to dig into her plate of pancakes and eggs, she watched Chloe out of the corner of her eye. Chloe knew that she had Beca's attention and with a sly smile on her face, she dipped the end of a finger into the whipped topping that covered her pie and slid it into her mouth, closing her eyes and giggling to herself as she licked it off. When she opened her eyes again, Beca was staring at her and Chloe winked, sending shock waves through Beca's body and causing her face to flush as she looked away and shoveled eggs into her mouth.

Chloe backed off a little and took a big bite of her pie, moaning longingly as she chewed it and enjoyed her mouthful of the rich dessert. All of the girls were smiling at her as she savored the bite and once she swallowed, she smirked and softly said "Oh my god, this pie is better than sex."

"Any pie is better than sex." Amy laughed with her mouthful of toast. "Hell, any dessert is better than sex. Let me try it."

Chloe slid her pie across the table and as both Amy and Aubrey took a spoonful of it, she grinned when Amy closed her eyes tightly and announced "Holy shit, that's good! I'd take this pie over sex any day."

Aubrey rolled her eyes at how bawdry they were being and ate her piece of the pie with all of their eyes glued to her, waiting for her reaction. She blushed when she noticed them watching her and with a slight grin growing on her lips, she mumbled "You're right, it is good."

Chloe grinned as Aubrey let her guard down and allowed herself to banter easily with Amy about dessert and sex. Aubrey was usually much more reserved, but she had become fast friends with Amy and seemed to really enjoy hanging out with the girl and getting wound up by her jokes and antics. It was good for her and Chloe was happy that she had found someone in the new crop of girls too. She had found someone herself and as she turned to her new friend, she felt a little mischievous when she saw how awkward Beca looked as she tried to eat her pancakes in peace.

Chloe loaded up her fork with some of the pie and with a wink in Beca's direction, sultrily asked "Do you want a bite?"

The words drove Beca crazy and as she felt her ears start to burn and lightning strike through her body straight to her core, she shook her head and with a strained voice choked out "No thank you, I'll just take your word for it."

"Back off, you're going to scare her away." Aubrey shook her head at Chloe, noticing how uncomfortable Beca looked.

Chloe squeezed Beca's leg under the table, but followed Aubrey's orders and turned her attention away from flustering Beca and to finishing her dessert. Beca was glad for the distraction and as she let her mind wander, she was thankful that no one was paying any attention to her. Her heart was pounding and her face was hot as all she could think about was how much she was attracted to Chloe.

As her palms became uncomfortably damp, she wiped them off on her jeans and thought to herself, "_Dear god, I **want** her. Like, I want to slam her against the table and have crazy sex in front of everyone want her_."

She had never had feelings like this towards another girl and didn't say much for the rest of the meal as she took occasional glances at Chloe and tried not to make a spectacle of herself and her huge toner for Chloe. This was definitely not good.

* * *

Aubrey and Chloe dropped her off at her dorm an hour later and as they lingered in the parking lot and Beca leaned into the open window, she smiled at both of them and said "Thank you for taking me out tonight. It was really nice to hang out with you guys and that place was…well, it was different and I just had a lot of fun."

"Good, we'll have to do it again some time", Aubrey replied, allowing herself to smile at the enigmatic freshman. "It'll be nice for you and Amy to have this tradition and to keep it in the Bellas. See you at practice, Beca."

Beca smiled and as she stepped away from the car, Chloe called out "Beca! I hope I didn't scare you away at the diner. Sometimes I don't know when to stop and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Are we okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Beca nodded as she wrapped her arms around her body, cursing herself for not bringing a heavier jacket. "I know that you aren't serious and it's okay. I'll see you for lunch before practice tomorrow. Good night."

As Chloe beamed at her, relieved that she hadn't ruined her friendship with the freshman, Beca felt her heart skip a beat and blushed for the hundredth time that evening as she walked into her building and trudged to her room. All of her good feelings instantly disappeared when she stepped into the room and was met by a stony faced Kimmy Jin, but as she plopped down onto her bed and thought about Chloe she felt happy and warm again.

* * *

It was nearly two in the morning and Beca was listening to music in the darkened room when she got a text message on her phone. She took it off of her desk and slid her finger across the screen, biting her lip when she saw that it was from Chloe. She read over the message and smiled at the simple words. "_Are u awake? I want to tell u something._"

Beca bit her lip as she laid back down on the bed and tapped out "_No, I'm too wired to sleep. What's up?_"

As she waited for the text message, Beca pulled her blankets over her body and tried to get comfortable in the silent room. It felt like an eternity before the next message came, but when it did Beca practically flung her phone off of the bed as she hurriedly grabbed at it.

"_U were right about that song. I listened to it when we got back. Best lady jam ever! ;)_"

Beca groaned into her pillow in agony of imagining just what Chloe had done as she listened to it and blushed when she realized that she would have like to have seen it. She was confused and attracted to this girl and couldn't wait to see her the next day. Most of all, she was a little bit afraid. Not of her overwhelming desire to crash her lips against the ginger's or to join her in the shower again for some impromptu singing and…other things. No, she was afraid because she knew that this girl would be the death of her and frankly, that didn't seem half bad.

* * *

**A/N: This got written a little sooner than I was expecting it to, but I came up with this idea at work of all places and I couldn't stop myself from writing it. Now there will definitely be a longer wait for the next update b/c I _have _to finish Keep Breathing and I have two one-shots that I'm dying to write, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm still looking for any ideas of where you want this to go and I appreciate all of the review, follows, and favorites. Keep them coming and I welcome any criticism, suggestions, or thoughts that you may have.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chloe Beale : Guardian Angel

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

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**Chapter Four: Chloe Beale – Guardian Angel**

* * *

~Present Day~

As Beca slid her journal shut, she felt her phone vibrate beside her on the bed and grabbed it, swiping her finger across the screen and reading the new message that had just come in. She smiled despite herself when she saw that it was from Chloe and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she read the message.

_Sry I didn't txt back. Pizza run with Bree. I'm on my way._

Beca smiled widely as the screen flickered off and put the phone on her desk as she rose from her bed and looked around the room. Kimmy Jin's side of their small room was spotless, but her side was a wreck and she didn't want Chloe to come the whole way over here and think that she was a slob.

Her bed was covered with clothes and she scooped them up in her arms and carried them over to her closet, opening the door and throwing them in before shutting the door before they spilled back out. Sure, it wasn't the best solution, but Chloe was coming over and desperate times called for desperate measures.

She then walked over to her computer and sighed as she looked at the playlist that she had been listening to as she read over her journal. It was filled with songs from _The Cure_ and _Radiohead _and _Bon Iver_ and she knew that if Chloe came into the room and heard one strain of any of their songs, she would know that Beca was upset and that couldn't happen. She needed to look like this whole situation wasn't killing her and as she loaded up a list of dance music, she felt her stomach sink a little.

It didn't feel right to listen to this stuff in light of everything that she had done, but she didn't have a lot of options and she would just have to ignore it. As the sounds of _Lady Gaga_ filled the room, she looked at her side of the room and nodded when she saw that it looked decent enough. Not too clean to throw Chloe off and not completely trashed to make her think that Beca was depressed or something. There was a lot of thought going into the impression that she wanted to give Chloe and Beca knew that it was ridiculous, but she couldn't screw this up.

As she sunk back onto her bed and waited for the knock on her door, she couldn't help herself as she flipped back through the journal and ended up on that page. As she read over the list, she couldn't help herself from smiling at number two. She had been suffering from an awful hangover when she wrote that entry and through her sloppy handwriting she remembered Chloe's hands and soothing voice and felt butterflies in her stomach as it all came flooding back.

* * *

_2. I hate that Chloe cares about me so much. I didn't ask for her to take care of me tonight, but there she was; my knight in shining armor, rescuing me from that party and cleaning me up and making sure that I was okay. She's like an angel and I'm the world's sloppiest drunk and I'm pretty sure that I sufficiently creeped her out last night, enough so that she's never going to touch me again._

* * *

~November~

It was Stacie's birthday and she was having a huge party over at the sorority that she had gotten into back in October. Beca had never been to a sorority house before and felt embarrassed even thinking about what went down in them. She couldn't imagine herself hanging out at one, but Stacie had pled with her to come at their last Bellas practice and when Chloe announced that she would be there, Beca had to bite back a grin as she agreed to come too.

She knew that she was obvious with her toner for Chloe and that it would only take one screw up for it to come out in the open, but somehow she didn't mind. Maybe she wouldn't even see Chloe at this party. The sorority house was huge and there would be a ton of people there taking advantage of the free booze and she probably wouldn't even show up anyway. What fun would a senior have at a party for a freshman anyway?

This didn't stop Beca from picking out the perfect outfit, a pair of tight black jeans and a dark red button down shirt, and applying her makeup meticulously in the mirror for a half hour. She finally stopped once Kimmy yelled at her for hogging the mirror and as she grabbed her purse and left her dorm for the long trek across campus to reach fraternity row, she couldn't help but think that this was a bad idea.

Not even a bad idea, but a terrible one. Beca Mitchell and a sorority party? In what world did that combination make sense? She was doing crazy things for Chloe and as she approached the foreboding house and groaned at the pounding music and red cups strewn across the yard, she knew there was no turning back.

* * *

It wasn't like Beca never drank before. She might not have had a lot of friends back home in Lansing, but those that she had knew how to have a good time in their boring small town. They all had access to beer and she had spent many weekends hanging out in their basements while they played video games or rocked out in their crappy bands, sipping a beer and just relaxing. She didn't like the taste of it and she only ever had one at the most, but it made her feel cool and fit in with the guys and it was just something that she did.

So it wasn't her fault when she didn't know that there was a difference between cheap _Natty Light_ and liquor. All she knew was that the grain punch was _fantastic_ and went down a lot easier than the awful beer that she had forced down in high school. One cup turned into two and two turned into four and soon Beca found herself loosening up as she danced with the Bellas and screamed out the words to the awful 90's music that was blaring on the stereo.

There was something about sorority girls and their penchant for girl bands that annoyed her, but as Beca shouted out the lyrics to _Wannabe_ and accepted a glass of what Fat Amy called The Tasmanian Devil, she never felt more at home. She could definitely get used to sorority parties.

* * *

Chloe had been pulling an all-nighter back at her dorm room as she prepared for midterms, but knew that as a captain she should make an appearance at the party and pulled herself away from her studies to journey across campus to the Delta Zeta house. The party had been going on for at least three hours and as she walked up the winding sidewalk to the house, she kicked away beer cans and cups that littered it and scoffed to herself. The Greeks couldn't handle their alcohol and it was only a matter of time before the cops came and rounded up a bunch of underage kids and shut the party down. Still, she hadn't been to a party since hood night and Jiggle Juice sounded pretty good right now as opposed to studying economics.

She had every intention of joining the party but as she placed her hand on the doorknob and started to pull the door open, she heard splashing in the bushes lining the front of the house and a familiar moan. She couldn't help herself from investigating and sighed when she saw Beca on her knees, puking into the rosebushes and groaning as she held her head.

"Beca? Are you okay?" Chloe leaned down next to her and rubbed her back while pulling back her hair.

"Yeah, I think I am. I didn't even drink that much, but Amy gave me this stuff and somehow I ended up out here." Beca rolled her eyes and wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand as she sat up.

She motioned to her half empty cup that was sitting next to her bag and as Chloe took a sip of it, she grinned and murmured "Oh, honey, this is a Screwdriver. It's supposed to be vodka and orange juice, but she definitely didn't add enough juice to this. You're going to have a killer hangover."

As Beca groaned and grabbed at her head, Chloe shook her head and said "Come on, let's get you to a bathroom and clean you up a little. Then, you're going to drink a ton of water and no more booze."

* * *

Chloe somehow guided Beca though the hoards of people and to the one unoccupied bathroom in the house that didn't have someone puking it in or having sex. As Beca sunk onto the closed toilet, Chloe wet a washcloth and started to wipe off Beca's flushed face. Beca moaned at the cold sensation and tried to push her hands away, but Chloe wasn't having any of it and shushed her as she ran the damp cloth over her forehead and cheeks.

Her head throbbed a little less as Chloe cooled her down and Beca smiled a lazy smile as she mumbled "You're an angel, Chloe. You're like a knight in shining armor, rescuing me and taking care of me. You're like the nicest person ever."

"And you're the drunkest person ever, so we're even." Chloe giggled at her words as she brushed the leaves and vomit off of Beca's shirt. "Just relax and stop moving so I can clean you up a little. You're a mess!"

Beca laughed at Chloe's playful tone and closed her eyes as the room spun around her, letting Chloe clean up her shirt and pull grass out of hair while talking to her in a comforting tone. After a few minutes, Chloe was happy with the job that she had done and wrapped an arm around Beca's waist as she helped the tipsy girl stand up. Beca's head swam as her body swayed and she almost fell over but stopped herself as she grabbed onto Chloe's shoulders.

Chloe smiled awkwardly back at her as their faces came close and Beca reached out for her hair with clumsy hands and slurred "You have pretty hair. How do you get your hair to look like that? You look like a princess and my hair doesn't do that. It just lays there and looks like crap."

"I'll show you when you aren't so drunk. Now come on, I'm taking you back to my place so you can sleep this off. I don't trust Kimmy Jin and she might send you out into the hallway naked or something when she sees how drunk you are. Let's go home."

* * *

As the girls walked through the crowded house and to the front door, Chloe felt a hand touch her back and turned to see a very drunk Tom standing there with a beer in his hand. He grinned at her and exclaimed "Chloe, Chloe, Chloe! What are **you **doing here? Every time I call you you're busy, but somehow you show up here tonight with your little girlfriend. Where are you two going anyway? Back to shower together?"

"Tom, you're drunk and being stupid right now." Chloe rolled her eyes and slid his hand off of her back. "I told you, I'm done with being your fling and what we had was nice, but I'm over it. I'm taking her home and you should probably go home too since you're practically falling over. Goodnight, Tom."

As she guided Beca away from the stumbling senior, he touched her shoulder again and spat out "Well, you weren't that good in bed anyway, slut! For someone with a reputation like yours, I was expecting a little better."

Chloe's mouth dropped open and as she felt her hands balling up into fists, she loosened her grip on Beca and watched as the freshman stumbled forward and slugged him in the face. He fell to the ground, moaning and holding his face and Beca smiled as she clutched her sore fist in her hand and almost toppled to the floor. Chloe caught her though and pulled her out of the house before Tom could realize what was happening and come after her.

As the girls stumbled out of the house and into the cool night, Chloe laughed and said "You have a hell of a left hook. Remind me to never piss you off!"

Beca just grinned and as the cold air sobered her up, she allowed Chloe to guide her back to her dorm room.

* * *

As Beca laid on Chloe's bed and allowed the ginger to clean off her throbbing knuckles and bandage them, she touched Chloe's face and whispered "You're so pretty, like a unicorn or something. You shouldn't let some guy talk to you like that. You deserve someone better."

"Bec, you're drunk right now. You don't know what you're saying, so just quiet down and let me clean this up. You really did a number on your hand." Chloe smiled sadly as she wrapped gauze around Beca's swollen hand.

"I have a good punch, I can't help it!" Beca exclaimed with a laugh. "Anyway, you **are **beautiful and everyone loves you. You don't need Tom or some guy who's just going to hurt you. The right person is out there for you and you just need to find her."

Chloe blushed and softly said "_Her_, Bec? You're really drunk and you need to stop before you say something that you're going to regret in the morning. Now, sit up and drink some water."

"Drunk? I'm not drunk. I'm a good drunk and I regret nothing." Beca groaned as Chloe guided her into a sitting position, her world spinning around her as she got her bearings.

"What about touching my face and calling me beautiful?" Chloe asked while opening up a bottle of water and offering it to Beca. "Do you regret flirting with me?"

"Maybe I am a little tipsy…"

* * *

As Chloe went to slip her shoes off and get into something more comfortable, Beca gulped down the water and felt her stomach start to churn. Before she knew it, she was throwing up into the garbage can and spilling the water onto Chloe's bed. Chloe sighed as she crossed the room and rubbed Beca's back gently as she sighed.

"What are we going to do with you? You're supposed to sip it, not chug it. Look at your shirt, Bec."

"Oh God, just kill me now." Beca moaned as she looked down at her vomit covered shirt. "Look at your bed! I'm the worst drunk ever."

Chloe rolled her eyes as she threw the empty bottle away and soothed her gently with "Relax, it's just water. Now, arms up!"

Beca groaned as she raised her arms above her head and soon she was sitting in front of Chloe in just her bra. She felt awkward and shivered as the cold hit her, but Chloe's eyes never wandered from her face and as she helped Beca into the first sweatshirt that she found, Beca didn't feel embarrassed at all.

As Chloe helped her to her to her feet and led her to Aubrey's bed, she leaned into her side a little and gave her a halfhearted hug. Chloe giggled as she set Beca onto the bed and asked "Was that a hug, Beca Mitchell?! Oh my God, I can die happily now."

Beca just rolled her eyes and laid back onto Aubrey's bed, resting her head against the pillow and sighing contentedly as she got comfortable. Once Chloe ran Beca's shirt down to the laundry room and took the garbage can to clean it out, she tucked Beca into the bed and warned "Aubrey's going to kill you when she comes back, but I don't want to move you right now. Just close your eyes and sleep this off. I'll take care of her when she comes back from her date."

"Aubrey smells really good, no wonder she's on a date. She smells like flowers and…fruit I think." Beca cracked a smile, closing her eyes and relaxing under the comfortable blankets.

"She has good shampoo." Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, leaning a little closer to hear the girls' soft words. "So, are you feeling any better? I hate to tell you this, but if you puke in Bree's bed I'm pretty sure she'll murder you."

Beca laughed and murmured "I'll try not to." Her eyes were starting to grow heavy and she blinked her heavy lids a few times, begging them not to close. "Chlo, thank you for saving me. I've never really had a lot of friends before and you're like my only friend here and I really like you. I'm sorry for making a mess."

"I really like you too and I'm glad that I met you. Now, sleep!" Chloe kissed the top of her head and turned off the light, getting into her own bed and trying to get some rest.

* * *

The sun was creeping into the room as morning came and as a ray of light streaming through the blinds hit Beca in the face, she moaned lightly and pulled her eyes open. She didn't expect to see Aubrey standing in front of her as she did and screamed out in shock at the sight of the girl glaring down at her.

Chloe jumped up quickly from her own bed and groggily asked "What?! What's happening?"

"Apparently a sleepover that no one told me about! What is _she _doing in my bed and why is she wearing my favorite sweatshirt?" Aubrey questioned before sighing at her roommate.

Chloe smirked and replied "She was really drunk last night Bree and she needed something to sleep in. What time is it? Are you just coming in now?"

Aubrey blushed as she looked down at her feet and Beca laughed as she exclaimed "Oh my God, you hooked up with someone! You were wearing those clothes yesterday at practice. Aubrey Posen took the walk of shame!"

"That's enough!" Aubrey glared at her giggling roommate as her face burnt. "At least I didn't sleep in a stranger's bed in their clothing. That's pretty creepy, Beca. Now, get up because we have practice in an hour and you look terrible."

Chloe pulled herself out of her bed and as she searched though her closet for something that would fit Beca for practice, Beca sat up and groaned as her head pounded. Aubrey shook her head in pity at the girl and passed her a bottle of Tylenol and some water.

Beca thanked her and gulped down the medicine, desperate for her hangover to go away. Moments later, Aubrey offered her a bowl of cereal and said "Since you're over here, you might as well eat. You can't practice with just alcohol in your stomach or you'll be sick and no one wants to see that. You should probably get a shower too, so take one of my towels and get cleaned up."

Beca just smiled back at her and as she forced down spoonfuls of _Life _cereal and watched the roommates banter back and forth, she felt completely at home. She had friends and she had spent the night with someone that she liked and had a genuinely good time, minus the punching and the throwing up.

As Chloe reenacted Beca punching Tom and Aubrey grinned at her with pride, Beca couldn't stop her own grin from growing on her face. She was happy and falling in love with the giggling ginger in front of her. Now, all she needed to do was get rid of this hangover and everything would be perfect.

_Perfect, huh?_ She never expected that from Barden University, but somehow it was happening and it didn't feel half bad. She could definitely get used to this as well.

* * *

**A/N: So, I'm really happy with the reception that this story is getting. All of the reviews and follows have been amazing and I really appreciate it. This story was my baby and to see that people like it makes me so happy. I even got an art made from my last chapter on Tumblr and even though that place has been a nightmare with photo-booth-gate and other stuff, it was amazing. **

**Anyway I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, I was busy emotionally destroying myself with _Keep Breathing_. The updates will probably be more frequent now and I have some ideas for where I want to take this, so I'm pretty psyched to write it. I like this format, of doing a little in the present and then writing a one shot based off of the reason. There will be more interaction in the present as the story goes on and I'll probably keep this format until the end when I blow everything up. We have to get there first, so keep reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	5. Beca Mitchell : Hater of Sleepovers

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Beca Mitchell – Hater of Sleepovers**

* * *

~Present~

It had been a half hour since Chloe had returned her text message and Beca hadn't heard from her since. Her dorm room was only a fifteen minute walk from Baker Hall and that was going at Fat Amy speed. If Beca were to walk it herself, she could easily make it there in ten minutes and now she was worried.

What if Chloe wasn't coming over and was just messing with her? What if she had changed her mind along the way and wasn't bothering to tell her because she was still pissed off? What if something had happened to her on the walk over?

As her mind went to the worst possibilities, Kimmy Jin walked into the room and shot Beca a glare as she threw her messenger bag onto the bed. Beca smiled uneasily at her and asked "Hey, Kimmy. What's going on?"

"I'm going out", Kimmy replied while looking at her like she had two heads. "Some of us actually have a social life and don't spend all night lying in bed, writing in our journal and looking like we're going to cry. By the way, I saw that creepy ginger that you're friends with on my way in and it looks like she was heading over here. If you're finally going to sleep with her, please put a sock on the door or something."

Beca's jaw dropped open and Kimmy simply smiled as she grabbed her purse and slipped out the door.

_Kimmy knew?_ Was she that transparent? Either way, Chloe was on her way over here and Beca had to make the right impression, _again. _She was putting a lot of thought into setting the right mood, but she couldn't screw this up and maybe, just maybe, the universe would find someone else to pick on.

Beca settled on leaning coolly in the doorway of her dorm room and waited patiently for that knock to come. After standing there like a doofus for three minutes, the knock finally came and as Beca listened to the four crisp raps against the wooden door, her heart started to pound. She breathed deeply though and kept her cool as she slowly swung the door open and gave Chloe her signature, awkward smile.

Chloe grinned at her as she took in Beca's strange pose and asked "Are you okay? Were you just standing there waiting for me to show up? 'Cause that pose looks forced and you answered the door pretty quick."

Beca blushed as Chloe laughed at her own comment and wiped the smile quickly off of her face. Chloe had only been here for less than a minute and had already seen right through Beca and her shtick. She was screwed and pretty much had no chance of keeping her girl-crush on Chloe a secret now.

_Play it cool, Mitchell! _Sure, she could do that. She was bad-ass and she knew all about being cool. Just stand there and play hard to get and she'll be eating out of the palm of your hand. _Or running away, thinking that you're a complete lunatic…_

Yep, she was screwed.

* * *

_3. I hate how Chloe is so…warm? She's like a human blanket and when I'm forced to go to those stupid sleepovers over at Aubrey's funhouse, she practically throws herself on me and it's…well, it doesn't suck. At all. But one day someone is going to notice that I enjoy it a little too much and then I won't have a reason to show up at all and things will be weird. Maybe even weirder than this strange relationship that we have, if that's even possible. _

* * *

~November~

Beca hated sleepovers. They're pretty much just an excuse for straight girls to act like lesbians for the night. She's never exactly considered herself straight, but even she knows that sleeping within breathing distance of another girl's lips, watching them undress for bed, and sharing secrets and sexual dares as you get them drunk isn't normal behavior. Add in the awkward sexual tension between certain members of the Bellas and Beca was ready to call this a Lilith Fair concert. Not that she has any problem with that, since they're all cool chicks and she's currently sporting a toner for the fairest of them all, but a Barden Bellas sleepover? Nothing straight about that.

Beca admittedly had never gone to sleepovers as a kid and didn't have a lot to compare these ones to, but she's still pretty sure that they're not normal. Like, who plays truth or dare and dares your friend to flash the group? Or asks them to describe their last sexual encounter in vivid detail or tells them to streak down the hallway? All of those things had happened at the last sleepover and even thinking about them gives Beca the creeps.

So by now she has this impression in her head that sleepovers are also just an excuse for said straight girls (and girls that are wound tighter than a drum, like Aubrey) to ogle their friends' breasts and compare them to their own. Sure, Beca had snuck a peak at their chests occasionally, but to ask for it in a dare? That was just strange and she didn't need to draw that kind of attention to herself. That was reserved for girls like Stacie, who barely even listened to their dares before pulling off her shirt and showing them her assets. She had seen them so much at these sleepovers that she practically knew them better than her own and that was just…it was kind of **sickening** to be honest.

But all of that didn't stop Beca from showing up here again, with her sleeping bag tucked under her arm and a grin on her face over a text she had just received from Chloe. The ginger had asked if she was coming and said that she missed her, which instantly floored Beca and led to her skipping up the steps of Chloe's building and rapping her hand against the door like an idiot.

As she stood there waiting for the door to swing open and for Chloe to greet her with that perfect smile, Beca _knew _that she was dead tonight. At the last three sleepovers she had managed to dodge their dares and stuck to truths that she could bullshit her way through. She was a convincing liar after years of living with her hard-ass mother and while Chloe would grin at her knowingly as she fibbed her way through a truth, no one ever called her out on it. Still, there was no way that she would get through this evening without showing some skin or revealing something embarrassing. She was the only one that hadn't shown **something **or kissed one of them or done something ridiculous and she knew that they were going to go hard tonight.

* * *

So of course, Stacie had taken her top off and flashed the entire room while Cynthia Rose smiled knowingly. And of course, Lily had revealed a creepy secret that made them all grimace and Amy had told them about a sexual encounter she had with a boyfriend that involved a police officer, a speed boat, and a length of rope. It was all typical and predictable and as Beca let her guard down and sipped from the bottle of wine being passed around the circle, she got blindsided by a question that made her heart stop and her hands turn clammy and her feet desperately want to carry her body out of the room. And of course, since **one** thing about the dare had to be typical, it came from Amy.

"Beca, Truth: Which one of us sexy bitches would you want to have sex with?" When Beca's mouth fell opened, Amy grinned and continued "Dare: you have to flash Aubrey."

As Amy stared back at her with a grin on her face and the other girls looked expectantly at her, Beca pondered between the two choices. If she chose truth, she would be screwed because everyone would know that she was lying if she didn't say Chloe's name. From the way that Chloe was staring at her with a knowing grin on her face and the way that Aubrey's eyes traveled between her and Chloe as she pondered the choice, they **knew**. The alternative though…that sucked just as much. Sure, she knew that her cups overfloweth and that she has good boobs, because girls _know, _but she's not the kind of girl to just whip them out and show them to everyone. Especially someone like Aubrey, who winced when Amy suggested the dare and flashed Beca a glare that told her to choose the truth or end up with a pillow over her face as she slept.

She had to make a choice though and as her face turned a deeper shade of red, she softly mumbled "Oh, fuck me." As the other girls laughed at how flustered Beca was getting, she squeezed her eyes shut, lifted up her shirt and flashed Aubrey. She could hear the other girls cheering her on and Aubrey protesting against the eye invasion and quickly shoved her shirt back down over her chest.

When she opened her eyes again, the other girls were laughing at her and Aubrey looked like she wanted to puke as she seethed at Beca in mild rage. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Chloe grinning at her and the look on the ginger's face was enough to knock the nervousness out of Beca's system and to force a smile onto her own lips. She grinned back at the girls and exclaimed "Okay! Okay! You've finally won, are you happy now?"

As the other girls nodded at her and moved onto the next victim, Chloe leaned closer to Beca and whispered "They'd all be jealous if they knew that I had seen them first, in a much…damper environment."

As Chloe pulled back and grinned at Beca, Beca blushed and looked down at her lap as the look sent shockwaves straight through her body and to the last place that she wanted to be thinking about right now. What she didn't expect was for Aubrey to hear what Chloe had said and as Beca tried to calm herself down, Aubrey made a face at them and looked puzzled for a moment, unsure if she had heard correctly.

"A-ca-what? You've seen her boobs before?!"

The room quieted and the girls stared and Beca wanted to sink through the floor as Chloe blushed and softly said "Oops!"

* * *

Amy was practically sitting on Chloe's chest as she held the girl down and tortured her by tickling her body. Everyone knew that Chloe was ticklish and as Amy's fingers dug into her sides, Chloe laughed uncontrollably and shouted "Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"

Amy let her go and Chloe shot Beca an embarrassed smile as she exclaimed "We needed girls for the group and I knew somehow that Beca would be good for us. She didn't want to audition though and I had to take matters into my own hands to get her attention. I'm not going to give you all of the details, but it involved a shower and singing and that's all that you're getting."

All of the other girls looked shocked as Chloe revealed the story and Beca just looked down at her feet, embarrassed but also surprised that Chloe hadn't told anyone about how they had ran into each other in the shower. As the girls started to tease Chloe and question her about what other things she did in the shower, Chloe mouthed "I'm sorry" to Beca and Beca just smiled back as Chloe blushed and let them have their fun.

Chloe wasn't about to let it die that easily though and as the comments got tamer and the girls chilled out a little, Chloe raised an eyebrow at Aubrey and said "Since you thought it was necessary to ask me about it, I think it's your turn to reveal something too." Aubrey withered under Chloe's glare and knew that she was going to go for the jugular.

"Aubrey, Truth: Tell us exactly why you have a problem with dating a Treble. Dare: Knock on the door next door and moon them when they open up. And FYI, I know _exactly _why we can't be Treble-boned and I have no problem with telling them if you're not truthful."

"Well, I'll make it simple for everyone then." Aubrey winced as Chloe winked at her. "Amy, keep a lookout for the RA, I have some mooning to get to."

As Aubrey rose to her feet and rushed towards the door, the other girls followed her eagerly to make sure that she actually went through with it. Chloe didn't follow them though and inched a little closer to Beca as she stayed behind too. She had no interest in seeing Aubrey's ass, but it had been nice to see Chloe sticking up for her and getting some kind of revenge on Aubrey for bringing up the shower thing.

They could hear laughter coming from the hallway a moment later and Beca looked up at Chloe and flashed her a grin as she door swung open and the girls rushed back in. As their laughter filled the air and they teased Aubrey relentlessly about her red face and delicious butt, as Stacie had so graciously called it, Chloe winked at Beca and reached out for her hand. With the other girls' attention on what had just happened, Chloe squeezed her hand and instantly made all of the embarrassment and tension disappear from Beca's body. For the first time, she felt like she had someone in her corner and it was nice. Really nice, in fact, as she squeezed back and joined in the happy laughter that was the perfect soundtrack for the evening.

* * *

After an hour, the game was finally over and Beca was thankful. She had seen more body parts and heard more dirty stories than she ever cared or desired to and for once in her life, she was happy to see Aubrey putting a DVD on. A DVD meant quiet and popcorn and some time to think without being interrupted by one of Amy's crazy stories or Aubrey's scolding or any one of them singing, which happened constantly and was terribly annoying.

It also allowed for her to get comfortable and as she leaned into Chloe's pillows as she lounged on her bed, she started to enjoy herself for the first time that evening. Chloe had gone to fetch the pizza and Beca took the opportunity to prop the pillows up the way that she liked them before Chloe came back in and ruined them once she hopped onto the bed too. This was part of their tradition and was one of the few things that Beca actually enjoyed about movie night.

And of course, it worked perfectly as Chloe came back to the room with the pizzas and laid them on her desk before flopping down next to Beca and complaining about the state of the pillows. Beca just grinned and as the movie started, some musical about _The Beatles_ which wasn't _too_ terrible, Chloe leaned against her and whispered "I'm sorry about before. I didn't think that Aubrey could hear me and if I knew, I wouldn't have said anything. That wasn't my…proudest moment on this campus and you looked pretty mortified. Can we still be friends?"

As Chloe grinned playfully at her and tickled her gently, Beca laughed and shoved her arms away as she answered "Yeah, we're fine. It's not that big of a deal and honestly, I kind of like that they know how big of a creeper you are. They'll never take a shower in peace without worrying that you're waiting outside of the curtain, ready to pounce and join them in impromptu singing and awkward nakedness. Aubrey doesn't know it yet, but she's created a monster."

Chloe giggled and snuggled into Beca, using the brunette's shoulder as a pillow as she watched the movie. The other girls were snacking on pizza and talking quietly about the movie, but Beca was too comfortable to get up and join them. There was something really nice about their whole arrangement and as Chloe hummed along to the music in her ear, Beca pushed her away slightly and softly joked "You're a stage five clinger, Beale."

"I didn't think that you liked movies. I'm pretty sure that that's a line from _Wedding Crashers_. Anyway, don't act like you don't love me. I'm like super comfortable to have hanging off of you and when you get in your sleeping bag later, you're going to miss having me to warm you up."

"Maybe", Beca replied with a small smile. "Jesse forced me to watch the movie with him the other night and it wasn't half bad. This one isn't too bad either, so maybe you guys are rubbing off on me and actually turning me into a normal human. What's next? Actual social skills? My dad will make sure that the school gives you a medal or something if that happens. And my mom? I think she'd probably invite you over for dinner every night of the week for the rest of your life."

"Mom, the meatloaf!" Chloe laughed, leaning closer to Beca and smiled as she started to giggle. "Now I'm definitely taking you up on this offer so I can come over anytime and force her to make me dinner. I just have to find a way to Michigan to accomplish this, but that'll give me some time to right your social compass. Give me six months and you'll be a social butterfly."

Stacie was sitting on the floor with her back leaning up against Chloe's bed and their conversation was annoying her. So much so that she popped up and snapped "This is the best part of the movie, so could you two go and get a room somewhere so we can watch it in peace?!"

Beca flipped her the bird and as Stacie returned to her seat with a smirk, Chloe tugged Beca a little closer and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to get some sleep. Somehow Stacie's comment didn't faze her at all and Beca breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned a little closer into the girl and fell asleep too.

* * *

The movie was over and the other girls were in their sleeping bags and sleeping, but Beca couldn't turn her mind off and drift away now that she was on the floor. It was hard and cold and just like Chloe had said it would be when they had watched the movie together. She was contemplating just going home and as she went to stand up, Chloe got out of her bed and carried her blankets over to Beca's spot and tossed them onto the floor. Moments later, Chloe laid down on her makeshift bed and whispered "What are you still doing up? Can't sleep?"

Chloe's warmth was immediate and she was like a hot water bottle as she laid a few mere inches from Beca's body but somehow managed to warm her up and make her feel completely at home and safe. Beca relaxed in her sleeping bag and softly answered "Yeah, I must've had too much caffeine or something. What about you? I thought you were exhausted when you practically used me as a mattress during the movie."

"I was, but then Aubrey woke us up once the movie was over and I've been thinking about stuff." Chloe looked away for a moment, tucking herself in and doubting herself for a moment before continuing. "Bec, do you think I could tell you something? I know that we're friends and all, but we haven't known each other for that long and I don't want to make you uncomfortable by confessing secrets to you."

Beca smiled at Chloe's sweet words and murmured "You can tell me anything, Chlo. In case you haven't noticed, you're pretty much the only Bella that I talk to on a regular basis and I have no one else to share your secrets with. What's up?"

"I broke up with Tom officially today." Chloe replied with a sad smile. "We've been weird since you punched him in the face and after two weeks of not talking or doing other stuff, I ended it."

"I'm sorry, I know that you liked having him around. Why are you telling me this though? I thought that you guys were over when he snapped at you at that party. Were you still hooking up with him after that?"

Chloe shook her head and gasped "No! I'm not that easy." She winked at Beca and the girl blushed in the dark while shoving Chloe playfully. "Anyway, we got to talking about stuff today and his reaction kind of threw me off and I just…I want to talk to someone that I can trust about this and I think that person is you. He's the only person that I've told so far, so you should probably be honored to hear an exclusive secret about Chloe Beale. Are you ready?"

Beca nodded as a grin played on her lips and Chloe looked down at her hands before she softly continued "I think that I'm going to have my nodes removed. It's scary to think about what might happen to my voice if I take them out, but I can't take the pain anymore and I know that I have to do it. Tom pretty much told me that it was stupid because singing was the only thing that I'm really good at and while that's true, I was kind of hoping that you would have some kind of insight or witty remark to make it hurt a little less."

Beca just shook her head and said "Not for something like this. I think that you should do what's best for you and if that means taking them out, then you should do it. You're smart and you're going to do so much other stuff outside of singing once you leave here and you shouldn't be miserable for the rest of your life."

"Maybe you're right. It's just that…I don't know how to be myself without this whole singing thing. What if it ruins my voice and I can't sing with the group anymore? You guys are my best friends and I can't imagine what would happen to our friendships if I had to leave. It's scary, you know?" Chloe shivered at the thought and pushed herself closer to Beca's sleeping bag, desperate for warmth.

Beca nodded and reached out for Chloe's hand, squeezing it tightly as she whispered "You would have me. I would **never** stop being your friend over something like that and truthfully, I'd probably quit the Bellas too. It wouldn't be the same without you with us and I know the rest of the girls would feel the same way. It's going to be okay, Chloe."

Chloe simply nodded, content with Beca's answer, and snuggled a little closer to her as she closed her eyes and ended their conversation when she slipped away a few moments later. Beca smiled down at the girl as she dozed quietly and felt tears fill her eyes as she watched the girl sleep. For the first time in her life, Beca had someone that trusted her and while it felt like kind of a burden, it was also a gift and she was so happy to have received it from Chloe. It was the nicest thing that anyone had ever given her and Beca couldn't help herself from smiling as she leaned against Chloe and quickly fell asleep too.

Maybe sleepovers weren't that bad after all.

* * *

**A/N: So, I lied last chapter about updating quickly. In reality, I probably should have called this chapter _Don't Trust A Flash Drive To Not Eat Your Half Finished Story. _So yeah, my flash drive ate my new story _Breathe Again _and I got pissed off and went into a slump until I finally finished writing both of them. Anyway, hopefully I'm not lying this time when I say that the next chapter will be up relatively soon and I think it might have some holiday flair...so there's that for a teaser. Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows and for reading!**


	6. Chloe Beale : Practically A Princess

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Chloe Beale - Practically A Disney Princess**

* * *

~Present~

As Beca stood in the doorway and didn't make a sound, Chloe found herself getting more and more frustrated with the smaller girl's aloofness. She had swung the door open and leaned against the frame, looking at Chloe for some kind of explanation since she first showed up there and it was frustrating. **Beca **had been the one that texted her, practically begging her to come over, and yet she was standing there and looking at Chloe like she had just showed up for no reason and it was…well, it was incredibly frustrating.

Beca had begun to enjoy the frustration that was building on Chloe's face and was about to say something to her, when Chloe pushed past her and walked into her room. Beca swung away from the doorway, letting the door shut with a low boom, and sarcastically asked "Excuse me? Do you just invite yourself in now? Don't you remember how much trouble that caused the other day?"

"I don't really care right now." Chloe rolled her eyes at Beca as she leaned up against the desk. "Why are you being like this?"

Beca looked down at her feet as a light flush started to spread over her face and neck and tried to steady her voice as she smoothly retorted "Like what? You're the one rolling your eyes and acting like you're mad. I'm just standing here…"

Chloe put her hands over her face and groweld "This! You act like you don't care that I came over here. After that little stunt with your journal, you're lucky that I'm even over here right now."

Beca felt awkward at the mention of her journal and pretended to pick something off of her shirt while Chloe stared at her. When Beca didn't volunteer a response, Chloe stood up and announced "I don't have time for this. If you're just going to stand there and act like this, then I'm leaving. Aubrey was right; I should have just stayed back at my dorm and forgotten about you. You hate me and this just proves it."

"Aubrey?! What did she tell you?" _That bitch!_

"Of all the things that I just said to you, the only thing you care about is what Aubrey told me. That's really nice, Bec", Chloe replied with a smirk. "Where's my DVD at? I left it over here the other night and I'm taking it back. That will at least gives me something to show Aubrey when she asks about what happened over here. Telling her about this little conversation…well, that would be pretty embarrassing. Especially for you."

Beca pulled the DVD off of her desk and handed the case to Chloe, holding onto it tightly and making Chloe work for it as she tore it out of Beca's fingers. As Chloe fought back a laugh, Beca looked back down at her shoes and mumbled "I don't hate you, Chloe. I'm just…I'm socially awkward."

"That's an understatement." Chloe laughed, her eyes glistening as Beca blushed. "Up until now, I've found it incredibly charming, but I'm tired and I don't want to do this right now. I'm going back to my room and maybe we can continue this conversation when you feel up to talking to me like a real person."

Beca shook her head as Chloe walked towards the door and felt her face flush when she softly admitted "Don't leave. I…I watched the movie. You told me that you loved it and I watched it and I…I liked it too."

Chloe shook her head gently as she stood in the doorway and started to question the girl. "Why are you telling me this, Beca? It's not going to make me forget that I'm mad at you. Plus, I know that you hate movies and I just find it kinda unlikely that you actually sat through the whole thing. Give me proof and maybe, just maybe, I'll stay and we can talk. Or I'll talk and you'll sit there and nod and pretend to listen. You're kinda good at that."

Beca stared down at her feet and fumbled for what to say. She desperately wanted to tell Chloe that she watched the movie because it was her favorite and if something was so special to her, then she wanted it to be special to her too. She wanted to tell Chloe that she loved her and wanted to know everything about her, but she just couldn't. She couldn't face the smirk that would decorate Chloe's lips and the rejection when she called them just friends. She couldn't lose her friend and instead, she watched as Chloe scoffed and reached for the handle to escape.

As Chloe started to slip out of the room, Beca fought through her embarrassment and anxiety and blurted out "Chloe, wait!" When Chloe froze in the doorway, Beca breathed a sigh of relief and ignored her shaky hands and sweating palms as she bit back a smile and announced _"I'm the Mary and you're the Rhoda!"_

Beca swore that Chloe almost toppled over as a burst of laughter ran through her body and as she stood there laughing and holding the doorway, Beca allowed herself to relax for the first time in days. Chloe turned around after a moment with a smile on her face that practically lit up the room and gazed into Beca's eyes as she slid the door shut.

"Oh my God, you actually watched it! We _need _to talk…"

* * *

_4. I hate how Chloe is practically a Disney character. I mean…she's perfect! She looks like one and sings like one and all she has to do is flash those baby blues at me and I'm done! One look at those eyes and I'm volunteering to demonstrate new dance moves with her at practice (with those hands wrapped around my waist…my God how could you not?) or blowing off a mix to watch The Office with her and Aubrey or sleeping over in her room when all I want to do is just climb into her bed and kiss her. God, I sound like a creep…_

* * *

~December~

There was only one week until winter break and Beca couldn't wait to get a break from campus and to go home to Michigan. Sure, she liked working at the radio station and hanging out with Chloe and Jesse, but her classes sucked and Bellas practices…well, they were a nightmare. Case in point, it was Friday and everyone just wanted to have a short practice so they could enjoy their weekend without bruises and blisters, but of course Aubrey couldn't stand for that. They had been running through their routine for two hours now and Beca was dying. She hated the stupid heels that they had to wear and she could practically feel the blood flowing down her foot as she reopened one of the many blisters that she had gained that afternoon.

Her feet felt huge and achy as she tried to focus on the dance moves and as Chloe stepped away from the group and took a drink out of her water bottle, Beca lost it. She watched as Chloe's lips wrapped around the lip of the bottle and as she took a sip and let a little dribble down her chin, Beca froze and just stared. As Chloe lowered the bottle and flicked her tongue out to swipe the errant water away, Beca moaned and blushed as the other girls looked at her. She tried to rejoin the dance as she blushed but her clumsy body had other plans and she toppled to the floor as she tripped herself up.

The other girls started to laugh and as Beca looked up at Aubrey, she swore that the girl was going to smack her. Chloe put her bottle down and was rushing over to see if Beca was alright, when Amy stopped her and called out "Keep back, Ginge! She's unstable right now and I think seeing you might make her explode."

Beca's face was so hot that she felt like she was going to combust and as Cynthia Rose helped her up; Chloe softly asked Amy what had happened. Amy laughed and stuck her tongue out, seductively swiping it across her lips and chin and motioning between Chloe and Beca. Chloe instantly understood and had to bite back her own laughter as Beca glared at Amy and tried to compose herself.

Aubrey had had enough though and stamped her heel against the concrete floor, snapping them all into attention as she gazed at Beca and fumed with anger. The laughter instantly died down and Aubrey snapped out "That's enough! Since none of you can seem to focus today, I'm calling practice off. I'll see you all on Monday and I hope that you're all prepared or we'll do cardio. Lots of cardio."

The other girls happily broke away from the stage and gathered their things, rushing out of the theatre before Aubrey could change her mind. Little did they know, Aubrey was hiding a small grin as she slung her back over her shoulder and briskly walked out of the room. Beca stood on the stage and felt her mouth drop open a little as Aubrey practically ran out of the theatre. _This wasn't about her, was it?_

Chloe approached her as the rest of the girls left and handed Beca her messenger bag and an unopened bottle of water. Beca tore open the cap and let the cool liquid pass over her parched lips before she lowered it and asked "What's up with Aubrey? She never cancels practice and she practically ran out of here."

"She's driving to Jacksonville to see her brother. He works down there and she won't see him over Christmas break, so she was just looking for any excuse to get out of here but not call off practice completely," Chloe replied as she slipped her jacket on. "You were the perfect distraction and I'm just glad that I made you trip up. It's kind of flattering and I'm dying to get out of here and just relax."

Beca blushed as she put the bottle in her bag and as they started to walk out of the room, Beca smiled and joked "Well, you should drink water like a normal person. That was some porn star shit back there."

Chloe laughed and as they walked into the brisk winter air, Chloe slung an arm across Beca's shoulders and said "I'm going to be alone all weekend and I was wondering if you'd like to hang out with me. I know that I'm not as funny as Amy or as cool as Cynthia Rose and Stacie, but we could grab some pizza and watch a movie or listen to music. It'll get you away from Kimmy Jin and maybe if I play my cards right, you could show me how to make a mix."

Beca laughed as she moved closer to Chloe, trying to leach some of her body heat away from her as she started to shiver, and caught a glimpse of Chloe's bright blue eyes watching her and practically begging her to say yes. _How could she resist an offer like that? _"There's no way that I'm turning you into DJ Beale. I can only imagine how many awful mash-ups you would make with Taylor Swift and cheesy boy band songs and the world doesn't need to hear that. But besides that, I would like to spend the weekend with you."

"I knew you would say yes." Chloe smiled brightly, bumping her shoulder in Beca's with a laugh. "I'm irresistible and you can't ignore my charm. I'm contagious and you're going to have the best weekend ever!"

Beca shoved her as Chloe led her to the parking lot and retorted "Yeah, like the flu. So, where are we walking to? It's freezing out and I thought we were going back to your room."

"We are. First though, I'm taking you to the diner and you're eating pie with me. You didn't get to last time and I think you need to so you can enjoy the whole…Chloe Beale Experience." Beca winced at the though and Chloe just grinned at her with a wink. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

* * *

It was late and Beca was leaning against the door of Chloe's truck, enjoying listening to Chloe talk soothingly as they drove back to campus while her eyes threatened to close. They had stayed at the diner for hours, just talking and eating and it had been surprisingly fun. Chloe had the gift of gab and they never ran out of anything to talk about, which made things so much better for Beca. She didn't push her or force her to open up and it was just…it was really nice.

Chloe had just finished telling Beca about her family and as she trailed off, Beca smiled and said "They sound really great. I'm sure you'll have a blast with them for Christmas. Are you going home?"

"No, I can't this year." Chloe shook her head, sadness creeping over her face. "My parents are going to Switzerland for the holidays for business and I wasn't invited. I could go home and spend break with my big brother and my little sister, but I decided to pick up a few extra shifts at the hospital and I'm staying here. What about you? Will I be seeing you over break?"

Beca shook her head, cursing herself for refusing her father's offer to spend the holiday with him and Sheila, and answered "No, I'm going home to Michigan. I haven't seen my mom since I left in August and I think she would kill me if I didn't come home. That sucks about your parents though. "

"It's happened before and it's okay. I like it here and honestly, being alone is sometimes better than going home." Chloe shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "My little sister is annoying and my brother is a…wreck and it's not like we're religious or anything. My presents are in my closet already and it's just not a big deal to me. I'll miss you though. Who am I going to talk about music with for four weeks?"

"I have a phone and a computer and we could Skype or text. If you want to…" Beca trailed off, shrugging as she leaned back against Chloe's seat.

Chloe nodded as they pulled into the parking lot and replied "Oh, totes! I can't imagine what you're like on the phone though. You're already kind of awkward in person and I can only imagine you trying to think of stuff to say on a phone. It kinda forces you to be a conversationalist and honestly, I just don't see it."

"Well, you'll just have to find out then." Beca laughed as Chloe put the car into park. "Maybe I'll even surprise you."

The girls fell into a comfortable silence and the only noise in the car was coming from the radio. With the engine off, the car started to cool off quickly but neither went to make a move. As the song changed and morphed into _Bittersweet Symphony_, Chloe's face lit up with a grin and she turned the volume up and locked the doors.

"Seriously?" Beca asked, shooting Chloe a questioning look. "You're locking us in the car? It's freezing!"

"It's not _that cold _and anyway, this song is awesome. We're not leaving until we hear the rest of it. That's one of my rules and you wanted the Chloe Beale Experience…"

Beca just smiled and tried not to laugh as the bass shook the old truck and Chloe serenaded her. She knew every word to the song and surprisingly, Beca did too and found herself singing along with Chloe after the song reached its chorus. It was the coldest six minutes of Beca's life, but also some of the most fun and as Chloe danced in the car and yelled out the lyrics, Beca felt her heart turning into goo. There was something about Chloe that was hypnotizing and Beca would do anything that she asked, even if it meant shivering in an empty parking lot and singing along to an ancient pop song.

As the song ended and Chloe turned off the radio, she smiled up at Beca and murmured "That's one of my lady jams. It has the best beat and those violins…I have a thing for strings."

"That's really more than I needed to know." Beca grimaced as she slid out of the car. "I'm never going to be able to listen to that song again! Thanks a lot, Chloe!"

Chloe just grinned and huddled close to her as they both started to laugh and rushed into her building.

* * *

_Those freaking eyes!_ Beca was trying to watch _Life as a House_ as she lounged with Chloe on her bed, but they were so distracting. Somehow, it was actually **worse** than watching a movie with Jesse. He had a habit of watching her whenever they watched a film, like he was anticipating her reaction, but Chloe was worse because those eyes…how could Beca focus on the film when they were practically glowing in the dark at her?

The worst part was that she was actually kind of enjoying the movie and they had only gotten through ten minutes of it when she pushed pause on the remote and turned to face Chloe. Chloe was biting her lip, knowing that she had gotten caught staring, and Beca smirked as she blushed. "Chloe, I thought that this was your favorite movie. How can you watch it if you're going to watch me the whole time?"

"I don't know I…I guess I was just checking to see if you liked it." Chloe giggled, avoiding Beca's eyes and gazing down at her lap. "We don't have to watch this if you don't want to. We could listen to music or just talk or even sleep."

"After you forced me to drink three cups of coffee, I'm not sleeping anytime soon." Beca snapped back while rolling her eyes. "I was actually kind of liking this movie, which is surprising giving your level of taste, so promise me that you'll quit having eye-sex with me and we can continue it. I know I'm irresistible…"

"Yep, I can't take my eyes off of you. You've figured me out, Mitchell." Chloe laughed, pushing Beca over onto her back and smiling when the girl gasped in shock. "Okay, I'll watch the movie and leave you alone. Just don't come bawling to me at the end when you're an emotional wreck. I don't want to be accused of trying to molest you if I give you a hug."

Beca just laughed and turned the movie back on, becoming enthralled with the story line and actually finding it interesting enough to watch until the ending. As the credits came onto the screen and the movie ended, Beca even found that her eyes were a little moist and wiped them discreetly with the back of her hands before looking over at Chloe.

She wasn't surprised when she sat that the older girl was crying and laughed a little before teasing "Jeez, Chloe, way to be a crybaby. I thought you've seen this movie 'a million times'."

"I have, it's just so sad!" Chloe exclaimed while shoving Beca gently. "C'mere."

Beca didn't know what came over her, but she moved willingly into Chloe's arms and hugged her as the ginger sniffled and swiped the tears out of her eyes. She held her even after she had calmed down and three minutes later, they were still hugging and somehow it didn't feel all that awkward. She didn't want it to end, but Chloe broke the silence with a loud yawn and mumbled "Bec, you can let me go now…"

Beca released the girl and as Chloe pulled back a little, Beca watched as Chloe's eyes moved from her lips to her eyes and then back down to her lips. Beca was frozen as Chloe inched forward, but something stopped Chloe from touching Beca's lips with her own and she looked down at the bed as she softly whispered "We should get some sleep. It's late and we have a long day tomorrow. I have a lot that I want to show you in Atlanta and it's going to be a lot of walking and shopping, so rest up now. Good night, Beca."

Beca just nodded and whispered good night to Chloe, watching as the taller girl slid off of her own bed and climbed onto Aubrey's vacant bed. Beca flipped the light off next to her and slid under Chloe's blankets; resting her head on the comfortable pillow and feeling overwhelmed as the smell of flowers and fruit invaded her nose. It was Chloe's unique scent and it was so intoxicating as she breathed it in and got comfortable.

As she slowly slipped away, she glanced over at Chloe and was surprised to see that the girl was still awake and was staring at her in the dark. Her eyes were glowing in the dim of the room and Beca swore that they were a little teary as she watched her fall asleep. Beca shivered at the realization that Chloe was watching her and just hoped that maybe, just maybe, she was sharing the same feelings as she was. The feelings that wanted her to get out of this bed and slide next to Chloe, holding her and feeling her warm breath as she fell asleep. To hear her light snores and feel her warmth in the cold of the room.

Beca had never had thoughts like this and from Chloe's wavering breaths on the other side of the room, maybe this was new for her as well. It was probably just all in her head though. No one like Chloe would like someone like Beca. There was a reason that the princess always ended up with the prince at the end of the movie and the throb in her lower half only served as a painful reminder that Beca _definitely_ was not a prince.

Maybe it was time to write her own fairytale. _Or to sit back and watch it all burn down. Oh God, she was turning into Lily now. What the hell was this girl doing to her?_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I just got wrapped up in my other story and kinda put this on hold for a little while. That's kind of stupid because I'm so easily distracted and I literally have a list of like 14 ideas that I actually want to write, but probably will never get too... It's a sad cycle, but at least there's this...**

**Anyway, I lied last chapter, there is no holiday flair in this chapter, but next chapter will definitely have it. Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows! I really appreciate all of the support I'm getting for this story and it means a lot!**


	7. Beca Mitchell : Never Been Missed

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Beca Mitchell - Never Been Missed**

* * *

~Present~

Chloe was perched on the edge of Beca's desk while the DJ sat on her bed with her hands covering her face. Chloe's excitement at Beca quoting the line from the movie had been short-lived once she started to talk to the smaller girl and witnessed her shut down completely. She was terrified to tell Chloe exactly how she was feeling and the thought of losing her was driving her crazy. So crazy that she couldn't even talk to her best friend and instead chose to cover her face to avoid those eyes and that smile and her…everything.

Chloe was being so great though and didn't push Beca to talk or do anything that she didn't want to do. Instead she looked at Beca with concern written all over her face and rubbed her shoulder gently as she struggled to put together the right words. After five minutes of silence though, she couldn't take it any longer and whispered "Bec, talk to me. You haven't said anything since I came back in here and I want to talk to you. Don't shut down like this and push me away. I care enough about you that I didn't leave and I…why did you watch the movie? You hate them and there had to be a reason that you watched it and can quote it. Talk to me, please."

Beca ran a hand through her hair and made the mistake of looking up at Chloe. The ginger smiled at her calmly and it sent shock waves down Beca's spine. She couldn't hold back any longer and as Chloe nodded encouragingly, Beca managed a crooked smile and admitted "I guess…I watched it because it means something to you. You love it and if it means that much to _you_…then I want it to mean something to me too. You're my best friend and I want to love the same stuff that you do."

As Beca looked back up from her hands, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that Chloe's blue orbs were floating in pools of tears. Chloe worried her bottom lip between her teeth and sniffled as she said "No one has ever said anything that sweet to me before. I don't know what to say, Beca."

"Then why are you crying? Something like that shouldn't make you upset. I'm sorry."

Chloe stood from the desk and sunk onto the bed next to Beca, taking one of her shaky hands into her own and squeezing it tightly. Beca instantly felt warm from the contact and found herself scooting closer to Chloe so their arms were pressed together and their thighs were dangerously close to touching. Chloe ran her fingers over the back of Beca's hand and murmured "Why did you make the list, Beca? If I'm your best friend, why did you make a list like that?"

It was Beca's turn to become teary and she looked down at her feet as she nervously tapped them against the hardwood floors. It was all real now and she was on the edge of panicking and becoming overwhelmed. Chloe was holding her though and rubbing her hand so tenderly that Beca knew that she had nothing to lose. Even if Chloe didn't feel a thing for her, she wouldn't lose her and that made everything a little better.

"No one has ever cared about me the way that you do. No one has ever been this good of a friend to me and I…I didn't want to ruin it." Beca swallowed the excess saliva in her mouth, instantly nervous. "I thought the list would help, but obviously it hasn't and I'm sorry for hurting you."

Chloe didn't say a word and as Beca looked up at her face, she gasped when she saw tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them away gently with the back of her free hand and then stroked Chloe's auburn waves with her shaking hand. Chloe relaxed as Beca's hand eventually settled on her back and gasped.

"I feel it too, Beca." She paused, letting the words settle in and squeezed Beca's hand a little tighter as she continued "Just say it and it'll be okay. It won't change anything, but I have to hear those words from your mouth. Please, say it."

The tears bubbled up and over the edge of Beca's eyes and as they started to slowly slide down her red cheeks, Beca looked up at Chloe for reassurance. One look into those blue eyes that were shining with love was all that she needed and as Beca swiped the tears off of her cheeks, she breathed heavily a few times to calm down and softly said "I like you, Chloe."

* * *

_5. I hate that Chloe makes me care about this place. It was supposed to be two semesters here and then a paid trip to L.A. and to the rest of my life. No boring Duluth, no stupid dinners with Dad and the step monster, and no more a cappella. She ruined all of that and now…I don't want to leave. I thought that it was just because I missed her and didn't want to be away for winter break, but now I realize that it's something more and she's made me actually __**care **__about those girls and this school and __**freaking**__ a cappella. I can't leave now and that's…it's terrifying to actually want to stay somewhere. _

* * *

~December~

Beca was trying to catch some extra sleep after a long night of mixing and as she finally nodded off in the too-bright room, her phone started to ring. She groaned as she pulled her head off of the pillow and sighed when she saw Chloe's name on the screen of her phone. Of course it had to be **her**! The one person that she couldn't get upset with and actually liked being bothered by. As she answered the phone, she tried to say hello but nothing came out but a yawn and she grinned as she heard Chloe start to giggle.

"Were you sleeping?" Chloe asked once Beca finished yawning. "I thought that you were supposed to be in literature right now. You're _so_ going to flunk this semester!"

Beca laughed and replied "Sleeping is better than _Anna Karenina_. If I was there and stuck listening to a stupid lecture on Russian romance, I'd be asleep on my desk. My bed is a lot more comfortable and far less embarrassing. So, what's up? I hope it's important because I'm exhausted and Kimmy finally left."

She could hear the smile playing on Chloe's lips as she offered "Well, I want to distract you. Come Christmas shopping with me! I've put it off long enough and since the Bellas' Christmas party is tonight, I need to go now. Please? It'll be fun...and I'll take you to _Starbucks_ if you go..."

Chloe trailed off and Beca debated her choices for a moment. She could either: A. Stay in her bed and sleep all afternoon until _Godzilla_ came back and bitched at her for being a spoiled and lazy white girl or B. Go out with Chloe, have a good time, and get a free caramel latte and maybe a cookie if she played her cards right. It wasn't too hard of a decision and she pulled herself up and started to tug her boots on before answering Chloe.

"Only for you, Beale. I'll be outside."

* * *

As they pulled into the crowded parking lot of the nearby _Target_, Beca groaned into her hands and gasped "Look at this place! I still don't understand why you've put off Christmas shopping for so long. This place is crazy and the lines are going to be long and I hate-"

"Will a coffee shut you up?" Chloe asked as she pulled into the parking lot of _Starbucks._ "I know that I'm a little late, but I've put a lot of thought into what I want to buy and it's not _too _bad. Now come on, turn that frown upside down! You know that we're going to have fun..."

Beca couldn't stop herself from smiling as Chloe trailed off and as she slipped her seat belt off and climbed out of the cab of the truck, she linked arms with Chloe and said "I guess it'll be a _little_ fun. Now come on, you promised me a coffee and I've been dying for a latte."

* * *

Beca had never felt as inadequate as she did while she watched Chloe shop. The girl seemed to know the perfect gift for each of the fellow Bellas and Beca felt like an idiot as she thought about what she had bought them. At the time, iTunes gift cards seemed like a nice idea, but now she realized how impersonal her choice was and knew that she would look like a fool tonight.

They had been in the store for two hours and were almost done shopping for the other girls. Chloe had picked out a shirt with a fun print on the chest for Amy, matching scarves and gloves for Jessica and Ashley (who were practically joined at the hip), a messenger bag for Denise (since she had mentioned how much she loved Chloe's at their last practice), a nice sleeve for Lily's _iPad_, and cute aviator sunglasses for Cynthia Rose. Beca knew that each one of them would appreciate their gift and as they entered the Health and Beauty section of the store, Beca wanted to sink through the floor.

Chloe was looking for the right gift for Stacie and as they walked down an aisle, Beca thought of the perfect present. _Maybe she wasn't terrible at this after all_. As Chloe stood in front of a rack of lotion, Beca pointed at a nearby shelf and announced "You should just buy her condoms. At least you know that she'll use them."

Chloe tried not to laugh as she considered the gift for a moment. "I can't buy her condoms, Beca! I'm getting them thoughtful presents. What is thoughtful about condoms?"

"I don't know. It shows that you know what she likes…and tells her that you think about her having sex. On second thought, don't get her them. She might take it as a hint that you want her body and I'm pretty sure that it would ruin the party if she started to hump you in front of everyone."

"She's not a dog, Beca!" Chloe chuckled, shoving her playfully. "Anyway, she likes this lotion and I'll just get a bunch and make her a nice gift bag. Jeez Becs, you need to get your mind out of the gutter!"

As the girl kneeled down to pick out the perfect combination of lotions, Beca snuck a peak at her ample cleavage and murmured "Not a chance, Beale. Not a chance."

* * *

They had been standing in the card aisle for fifteen minutes and Beca was getting antsy as she watched Chloe flip back and forth between the different Christmas cards in the abundant racks. Apparently she needed to read each one to find the perfect sentiment and Beca was bored and miserable. Her boots were pinching her toes and her head was throbbing from the caffeine rush from her coffee and as much as she liked Chloe, she could be incredibly infuriating sometimes.

As Chloe picked up another card, Beca groaned and asked "Seriously, Chloe? It's not that difficult; just pick one and stick some cash in it and she'll love it. I still don't understand why you can't just buy her something. How can someone hate presents?"

"Bree does and I don't question it. She hates surprises and I'd rather her buy something that she wants than be stuck with something that I like." Chloe shrugged as she flung the card back onto the shelf and looked at another, reading over it and smiling brightly. "Ooh! Read this one!"

Beca flipped open the card and nearly gagged at the sentimental message printed on the inside, but knew that it was perfect for Chloe. As she closed it and tried not to laugh, she looked up and saw that Chloe was teary eyed and smiling. Beca raised an eyebrow at her as a laugh tumbled from her mouth and Chloe exclaimed "I just love Christmas so much! This is the best time of year and she's going to love it! Now come on, let's check out and grab some lunch somewhere. It'll be my treat since you put up with me all afternoon."

* * *

As Beca took a bite of her BLT, she caught Chloe's eye and teased "So, I didn't see anything for me in your cart. Did you forget about it or did you already buy me something? I kinda have big expectations for this present, especially after seeing what you bought the rest of the Bellas."

Chloe swallowed her mouthful of salad and smiled at the gall of Beca for asking that. She liked it when the girl loosened up and allowed herself to be playful. That was her favorite shade of Beca and as Beca raised an eyebrow at her and sipped her soda, Chloe smirked and asked "Well, you are kinda special and someone that is special deserves their own shopping trip. I've actually had your gift ready for a while now and I don't like to toot my own horn, but it's pretty amazing. It can't compare to a gift card though..."

The look on Chloe's face caused Beca's heart to pound heavily and her stomach to spaz out. She looked so beautiful and relaxed and happy and Beca wanted to sit there all day with her. She wanted so badly to touch her, but instead settled on swiping a crouton from the edge of her salad. As Chloe started to protest, she chomped on it and quipped "You'll just have to find out what I got you, Beale. I might just surprise you after all."

* * *

Beca sat by herself at the Christmas party and felt a little disappointed at how the night had gone so far. She had been there for an hour and wanted desperately to go back to her room and pack, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Chloe had gone on a booze run before she had arrived late to the party and she couldn't leave without giving the girl her present.

Besides her favorite person being absent, Beca was also a little disappointed at what the other girls had given her. While she appreciated receiving anything at all, it was no secret that she went through tons of flash drives with her music and each of the girls had bought her one. She knew that she hadn't opened up that much to the other girls and that they were probably at a loss for what to get her, but she had hoped for a little creativity or at least a nice surprise. As she looked down at her haul though, she couldn't blame them considering the lack of thought that had gone into her own gifts. This was karma and it wasn't like she _didn't_ need them, so she shoved the feelings of disappointment to the back of her head and tried not to smile as Chloe finally walked into the auditorium.

She was carrying a large keg in her arms and as she placed it heavily on the floor with a loud clunk, she caught Beca's eye from across the room and made a bee-line towards her friend. On the way over though, she got sidetracked by Stacie and pulled the tall brunette in for a bear hug as she thanked Chloe over and over for the lotion and perfumes. Beca felt a little jealous as she watched Chloe touch the girl and realized then that Chloe was touchy with **everyone**. She had thought that those types of hugs were just reserved for her, but as Chloe melted into the girl's arms and chatted happily with her, Beca realized that there was nothing special in their shared touches. It was all one sided and her eyes became a little misty as Chloe pulled away from her and walked over to Beca.

Chloe knew instantly that something was up with Beca and snaked an arm around her waist as she slid onto the chair next to her. Beca was quiet and Chloe gave her a hug, trying to break the girl out of her sadness. Beca didn't say anything though and Chloe softly murmured "Let's get out of here. I want you to open my present and it's still kind of warm out, so let's go outside for a bit. Come on."

She extended a hand towards the DJ and pulled her off of her chair, leading her out the back exit of the building and sitting with her on the back steps. Beca hadn't said anything yet and as Chloe thrust a small wrapped package into her hands, she looked a little anxious and said "Are you okay? You look a little sad and I hope that I didn't do anything."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." Beca ran her fingers over the nice wrapping paper, tracing the design and picking at the tape. "I'm just going to miss this place and you guys and I really don't want to go home."

Chloe smiled sadly at her and watched as Beca averted her eyes and tore the paper off of the package. Her mouth fell open when she saw the MP3 player beneath the paper and gasped "Chlo, you shouldn't have. This must have cost you a bunch of money and it's way too much. I can't accept this."

"It's not that big of a deal", Chloe replied while shaking her head. "I couldn't believe that someone that loves music as much as you does doesn't have a MP3 player and that had to be fixed. Besides, I want you to have something to listen to on the plane ride home tomorrow. I made you a playlist, but I don't want you to listen to it until you're in the air and on your way. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I love it", Beca answered with teary eyes. "Here, mine isn't nearly as great as yours but at least it's not a gift card."

Chloe smiled and opened up her present, instantly enveloping Beca in a hug once she saw the contents. It was a simple picture frame, since Chloe loved taking photos and had tons stashed around her side of her dorm room, and a flash drive with a label on it that simply said _Chloe_. They were simple gifts, but it was the thought behind them that mattered and since Beca never volunteered her music for the other girls to listen to, it was kind of a big step for her.

"Thank you!" Chloe pulled away, grinning at Beca. "I've been waiting for you to make me a mix and I'm sure that it's amazing. Can I play it now? I have my laptop in my bag and we could listen to it together."

"No, I want you to listen to it later when you're alone. It's just...I hate to watch people when they listen to my stuff and I made this just for you and you're the only person I want to listen to it. I'm sorry if that's weird..." Beca trailed off, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"No, it's fine and I totally understand. It's getting a little cold out and we should probably head in. What time should I pick you up tomorrow morning?" Chloe asked while pulling herself to her feet with a groan.

As they stood up and Chloe wrapped an arm around her back, Beca allowed herself to relax and softly said "My flight leaves at eight so we should probably leave here at around five. If you'll bring the car, I'll bring the coffee!"

"Deal! Now, let's go inside and take a picture so I can have something nice to put in this frame."

* * *

It was super early and Beca was exhausted as she played with the edges of her jacket and tried to stay awake. She hated flying and combined with her exhaustion from getting back to her room late last night, she was miserable. Chloe was sipping coffee next to her as they waited for the plane to be ready to board and Beca wasn't all that surprised at how solemn Chloe was. She hadn't said much since she picked Beca up outside of her dorm and Beca didn't blame her. She didn't want to be alone for the holidays and all of her friends would be leaving in the coming days and it would suck. Beca desperately wished to be able to stay with her, but she had promised her mom that she would come home and she needed to have at least one of her parent's happy with her before her final grades came through.

As Beca started to doze off, Chloe squeezed her leg and said "I listened to your mix last night. It was really great, Bec. I like to listen to music whenever I fall asleep and it was perfect. Did you listen to my playlist yet?"

Beca shook her head as her hand gripped the MP3 player tucked safely in her pocket and softly replied "No, you told me to wait until I was on the plane. I'm glad you like it, Chlo. It means a lot to hear that from you."

"Well, I have good taste. Speaking of taste, who am I going to talk about music with for four weeks? Who am I going to complain about Aubrey with and waste time with on campus when we should be studying or rehearsing? I'm really going to miss you, Beca."

She pulled the girl in for a tight hug and Beca felt her eyes become teary at Chloe's words. No one had ever missed her before and the longing in her heart only grew as she realized that she wasn't alone. She would miss Chloe _so_ much and it was nice to know that Chloe felt the same way.

As she pulled away as the announcement rung out for her flight to start boarding, she wrapped her jacket around herself a little tighter and responded "No one has ever really missed me before. I'm going to miss you too, but we can text and Skype and you have my number. Anytime you want to talk about anything, just call me up and you'll have my ear. I should probably get going. Thank you for driving me over."

Chloe nodded as she stood in front of the girl and buttoned up her jacket so she wouldn't be cold when she landed in Michigan. Once she was content with her job, she rubbed Beca's arms gently and whispered "Have a nice flight, Bec. I'll see you in a month."

Beca smiled sadly back at the girl and walked to her gate, fumbling with her hands and begging her feet to go forward and not stop and turn back around. She had to leave and as much as she wanted to stay, she knew that she couldn't.

As she neared the terminal, Chloe yelled out "Skype me as soon as you get home!"

Beca smiled back at the girl and nodded, before handing her ticket to the attendant and waving to her as she lingered at the entrance. Chloe waved back and Beca blinked back her tears as she walked down the tunnel and back to her old life.

* * *

Christmas was almost over when Beca arrived back on campus, but she didn't mind as she thrust a fifty into the cab driver's hand and ran across campus with her stuff. She didn't stop running until she reached Chloe's dorm and as she knocked on the door, she prayed that Chloe had kept her word and stayed on campus for the holidays.

After a few moments, Chloe opened the door and let her mouth fall open as she saw Beca standing there with her bags on the floor and her arms full of eggnog and sandwiches that she had picked up at the local mini-mart. Chloe stumbled with her words and once she calmed herself down a little, she smiled at Beca and her eyes twinkled with happiness.

"You're supposed to be in Michigan right now. What is Beca Mitchell doing outside my dorm room on Christmas night? You're supposed to be tucked in front of the fire, watching cheesy movies and spending time with your family."

"I got tired of my mom after about a week", Beca replied with a shrug. "My mom was okay with it and even paid for my ticket. I guess she just wanted to see me happy and I wasn't happy at home. I did the whole Christmas morning thing with her and had dinner with her and her new boyfriend and then I flew back here. I know it's late, but I didn't want you to be alone on Christmas."

"Beca...that's the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me. I can't believe you flew the whole way back here on Christmas." Chloe's eyes were teary and she swiped them with the back of her hand before continuing. "So, now that you're here, what do you want to do? We could watch _Elf_! It's on right now and you can sleepover! Let me help you with your stuff."

Chloe picked up Beca's luggage and as they walked into the room, Beca grinned when she heard her mix playing over the muted TV. She handed Chloe a sandwich and said "I didn't know if you ate or anything, so I got this at the gas station. It probably sucks, but at least it's something."

Chloe took the sandwich from her gratefully and as she sunk onto her bed and grinned up at Beca, Beca felt her heart melt and her head spin. She was **so** glad to be back in Georgia and she never thought that she would say that.

The girls ate and talked about their presents and watched Christmas movies all night long until they were too tired to stay up any longer. Beca asked Chloe to play the playlist that she had put on the MP3 player and as the mellow sounds of Snow Patrol filled the air, Beca leaned into Chloe and start to fall asleep.

As Chloe slipped away first, Beca couldn't help but smile as she thought about everything. She was in a dreary dorm room on the happiest day of the year, tucked in tightly under a heavy blanket and practically spooning her crush on the tiny bed as she slipped into her dreams. She was warm and comfortable and the thumping in her chest only reminded her of the reason that she had left Michigan. That girl snoring in her ear was everything to her and as she allowed herself to slip away, she never felt more at home.

* * *

**A/N: So this took a little longer than planned, but it's super hard to go between this and _Breathe Again _because they're super different and it conflicts with my feels... Anyway, I wanted to respond to a review I got last chapter from a guest about thing number 6 revealing to Chloe that Beca really doesn't hate her. In my mind, and maybe I didn't convey it well in the first chapter, Chloe only had the journal for a moment and was pretty fixated on the title of the entry. She didn't have enough time to get a good look at what Beca actually wrote, but she kinda has an idea that Beca likes her. As you can tell from this chapter, Chloe likes her back and I think that shouldn't really be a surprise since the tension and flirting between the two of them has increased with each chapter. **

**Anyway, I hope to have this updated again by early next week at the latest and if you read _Breathe Again _that will be updated tomorrow. I have a couple other ideas in my head and I hope to publish them soon as well. One's about hockey (which I'll probably be the only person that likes it) and the other is a fluffy romance one-shot and maybe a smut... I don't know though, that kind of weirds me out to write. Plus, I came up with something last night and it's pretty dark, but I can't get it out of my head. So, I have a bunch of stuff planned but I definitely won't be neglecting this fic. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chloe Beale : Lover, Not A Fighter

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Chloe Beale - Lover, Not A Fighter**

* * *

~Present~

Chloe was stunned into silence by Beca's words and couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on her lips. All this time she had thought the worst would happen when they spoke, but she had been wrong and was so thankful for that. Beca was still crying though and Chloe wasn't sure how to take it. She didn't know if she was just nervous or genuinely upset and she didn't know what to say to the girl. Usually she had the right words for every situation, a product of having a therapist as a mother and years of being Aubrey's sole confidante, but now she was afraid of screwing up and pushing her friend away.

Beca was embarrassed at her emotional showing and wiped her face off with the back of her hands, but the tears kept coming. She wasn't sad or angry, just afraid, and it had been building for months. All of the yearnings and thoughts and feelings that she had bottled up inside were coming out and she **never **cried. Not when she broke her arm when she was five, not when her dog died when she was thirteen, or when her father walked out the day after her fifteenth birthday. Now was different and she didn't understand why. It could have been that Chloe was her first really close friend or that her whole heart was invested in this. It also could have just been that she was utterly terrified of ruining a situation that was really nice. She was actually liking school and the Bellas and having friends and one misstep could ruin it all.

As she pulled her hands away from her cheeks and grimaced at the eye shadow that was streaked against her fair skin, she looked up at Chloe and softly asked "You're still here? I didn't scare you away yet?"

"No, you could never scare me away. We're friends and that's never going to change." Chloe shook her head as she gazed down at the smaller girl. "Bec…what did you mean when you said that you liked me? I know how **I** feel and I've known it since I spotted you at the activities fair, but I need to know exactly what you're feeling. What do you want from me? I'll give you anything, but you have to tell me."

"I can't tell you that, Chloe. I can't tell you everything that I've been feeling because it's just going to push you away and I don't want that." Beca looked down at the floor as her cheeks grew red. "I don't want to lose the only friend that I have."

"You have eight other friends in the Bellas and you're not as alone as you think you are. You have all of us and you're not going to lose us. You're not going to lose **me**. I _want_ to hear it, Beca. Please, say it."

"I want everything." Beca looked up at Chloe's eyes and felt her lip quiver as she shakily continued. "I want to touch your face and kiss you and just hold you. I want to be the person that you come to when you're upset and I want to be the one that walks you home from practice and talks to you all night on the phone. I want to be the last person you think about before you fall asleep, because I think about you all the time and I can't anymore. I can't feel _this_ and not touch you. I'm…I'm going to lose it or something. You're driving me absolutely-"

Before she could say another word, Chloe's lips were on hers and pushing her back against a pillow as they moved together and melted into one. It was warm and tender and everything that Beca had ever wanted. Chloe's mouth tasted like the sickeningly sweet strawberry bubble gum that she constantly chewed and her lips were so soft and it was perfect. It was the one moment that she had imagined for months and it was actually happening.

It was too perfect though and Beca couldn't fight her head any longer as she pulled away from Chloe and panted heavily as she stared up at her with wide eyes. Her hands were shaking and as she backed off of the bed, she softly gasped "Holy shit. This…this shouldn't have happened."

The tears were blinding her as she made her way to the door, but Chloe was suddenly in front of her and the upset look on her face only made Beca cry harder. Chloe's hands were on the sides of her arms, rubbing up and down tenderly, and her voice was so sweet as she whispered "Where are you going? This is **your** room and you wanted to kiss me and I wanted it too. Why are you leaving? Did I do something wrong?"

"I can't do this." Beca shook her head as she shrugged Chloe's hands off of her. "I won't do this with you."

* * *

_6. I hate that Chloe has these expectations of me. It's like one look into those eyes and I can tell that she thinks I can fix everything and I can't. I can't be the person that she wants. I can't be the person that she spotted at the activities fair and shot puppy dog eyes at; asking me to turn their dreams into a reality. I can't push Aubrey any further and I can't take these solos and I can't give her what she wants or needs because I know that in the end I'll just screw it up. I'll end up disappointing her when nothing goes right and I can't do that. I can't hurt her like that and it…it sucks._

* * *

~January~

Amy was still celebrating being awarded her first solo as practice ended. As she laughed happily and strolled out of practice with Cynthia Rose and Stacie, Beca lingered behind and watched as Chloe slowly pulled her jacket on and took a long sip from her water bottle. She drank the water slowly and winced as the warm liquid slid past her tongue and over the offending nodes. Beca could tell that she was in a lot of pain and just wanted to hold her, but she held back and watched her as the rest of the girls left.

Aubrey was the last of the girls to leave and as Chloe swung her bag over her shoulder to follow suit, Beca stopped her and asked "Why aren't you talking to me? We usually hang out after practice, but you haven't said a word since Aubrey gave Amy the solo. Are you mad at me?"

"Do you think that I shouldn't be mad?" Chloe questioned as she stopped and leaned against a chair. "You **need **to do a solo, Beca. You're so good and our set sucks and we need you. We're never going to do anything in a competition unless you step it up. I can't carry us anymore and we need you."

Beca rolled her eyes and spat out "We need or just **you**?" Chloe's mouth dropped open at Beca's abrasive tone and Beca shook her head as she pressed "Don't push me to do this to make yourself feel better. Don't use me to stand up for yourself. I'm not going to be your puppet to finally make Aubrey listen to you."

Chloe's eyes were teary now and her face was pale with anger as she exclaimed "I can't believe you just said that to me! We're friends Beca and I would never use you as a puppet. Are you crazy or just an idiot?!"

Beca cocked an eyebrow up at the insult and that sent Chloe over the edge. She was tired and in pain and she hated to fight. This was their first fight and she wasn't doing this right now. She just wanted to go home and cry into her pillow and she shook her head in disbelief at Beca as she stormed off towards the door.

Beca didn't want her to leave though and chased after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around as she asked "What do you want from me, Chloe? What do you expect me to do?"

The tears were rolling freely down her face now and Chloe was holding her throat as she croaked out "I want you to _try_, Beca. To not sit back and let all of this happen when you can be so great. I know you can, but you won't let it happen."

"You're the only one that believes in me and news flash: Your opinion doesn't matter." Beca shook her head as a chuckle escaped her from her lips. "The aca-nazi is the only person that has a voice in this group and you should just knock it off and deal with it. Nothing you think or say will make a difference and it's better if you just keep it to yourself."

"You're being ridiculous", Chloe countered shakily, fuming with anger and grabbing onto Beca's shoulders. "If you can't see how good you are and what you can do for us, then why are you here? No one is forcing you to stay in the Bellas and you could have left so many times, but you **haven't**. Why are you still here, Bec? Why are you doing this?"

Beca couldn't control her temper any longer and pushed Chloe off as she shouted "I'm doing this for you, Chloe! For you!" Her voice lowered as Chloe frowned and she pushed her hair off of her face as she mumbled "You're the only reason that I'm still here and once this semester is over, I'm gone. I can't take this anymore and I'm not fighting with you because you're hurting and I don't want you to feel worse. I'll see you whenever."

Beca walked away from Chloe and as she neared the door, Chloe sighed and said "Beca, don't go away mad. Let's just talk and sort this out."

Beca just rolled her eyes and walked through the door, leaving the ginger alone to think about their argument and to hold her throat as the pain became unbearable and the tears fell from her eyes.

* * *

Beca was laying flat on her stomach back in her dorm room, with her face buried in her pillows, as Kimmy Jin walked into the room. The Korean stood in the doorway and eyed Beca, smirking as she crossed their small room and sat on the edge of her bed. Beca rolled her eyes as she tapped one of her heals against the hardwood floors and as she picked her head up from the pillow, she shot Kimmy her nastiest glare.

"You look like you lost your best friend. Bad day?"

Beca flipped her off as she laid back on her bed and asked "What do you care, Kimmy? You make it no secret that you hate me and your presence alone is making this spectacular day all the more pleasant. Is there something else that you need?"

"Nope, I'm good." Kimmy rolled her eyes as Beca placed the pillow over her face. "Just don't smother yourself with that pillow. I don't want to come back here and find a dead body in my room. I don't like you, but that would kinda suck. I'm going to study at the library; I won't be back until late."

As the girl gathered together some books and shoved them into her backpack with her laptop, Beca moved the pillow back slightly and dead-panned "Have fun. Don't hurry back."

Kimmy laughed at Beca's insult and walked towards the door, stopping when she opened it and revealed someone standing behind it. She looked the girl up and down and announced "Come in. You look upset too and misery loves company."

Kimmy let Chloe into the room as she left and Beca removed the pillow from her face as she sat up in bed. The girl had been crying and her cheeks were red and her face was free of makeup as she leaned against the door. She smiled sadly at Beca and mumbled "I had a fight with Aubrey when I got back to our room. Could I hang out here for a little while? I don't have anywhere else to go and I'm sorry that we fought. Please don't be angry with me. I'm just…"

She couldn't continue and Beca whispered "I get it Chloe and I'm not mad. I know what it's like to not have anywhere to go and you can stay as long as you want. We should probably go somewhere else though because this room is too depressing and I just want to get away from this place for a while."

Chloe smiled as Beca pulled her jacket on and fished her car keys out of her bag as she said "Let's just go for a drive."

* * *

They had been driving away from campus for ten minutes before Chloe pulled into the parking lot of a small ice cream shop. Beca smiled to herself, finding it so typical that someone like Chloe was able to find the only ice cream place open in the dead of winter.

"What? Do you hate ice cream now?" Chloe asked, noticing the smirk on Beca's face.

Beca shook her head and smirked as she replied "I just can't believe that you found a place that's open in January. At home they're usually closed in the winter."

"Well, this place is special." Chloe turned the car off and stared at the familiar tiny ice cream shop. "It's the only one for miles that's still open and I used to come here all the time with Bree. Before puke-gate, that is. Now come on, I'll buy you a cone."

* * *

The girls were sitting on the tailgate of the truck and eating their ice cream quietly as they savored one of the last warm days that they would have that winter. As Beca licked the side of her cone to stop the ice cream from hitting her fingers, she looked up at Chloe and asked "What did you mean by 'before puke-gate'?"

"Last year, it kinda sucked to be a Bella." Chloe paused, flashing Beca a sad smile and sighing before continuing. "We were a good group and we had a lot of range and good singers, but it just wasn't fun. Alice, our old leader, makes Aubrey look like a saint and she was so mean to all of us. She would say these terrible things to us all the time and practices were like boot camp. There was no talking or laughing and we could never sing anything that wasn't on her list of approved songs. It was even like that at the riff-off, where we got laughed out of the pool. She was also really hard on me and Bree because we were the youngest members of the group and it was awful. I could take it, but it really hurt Aubrey."

She licked her cone as her eyes grew misty and her words drew to a slow crawl as she softly kept going, seemingly unable to stop spilling her guts to Beca. "Aubrey was so nervous before Nationals and I tried to calm her down and tell her that we would be great, but she doesn't do well under stress. If you'd ever met her father, you'd understand and it's not pretty. I had a feeling that something bad would happen and well…you saw the video." Chloe looked up at Beca, who simply nodded but didn't say a word. There was nothing she could say to make Chloe stop hurting and she wanted to just listen to her confession.

"What's not on that video is that everyone left and I was the only one that stayed with her. She was sobbing and she kept apologizing, but they wouldn't hear it and they said terrible things to her when I got her backstage. That night, when we got back to the hotel, we promised each other that we wouldn't be anything like Alice. We would be great and you guys would love us and everyone would want to join our group and help us make history."

Chloe laughed bitterly as she stared at her hands and mumbled "It'd be nice if every promise came true."

Beca tore the paper off of her cone and asked "What happened? What changed her?"

Chloe shrugged as she swallowed a mouthful of her vanilla cone and said "I don't know. She never told me, but I think her dad was pretty rough with her over summer break."

"Do you think he hit her?" Beca's voice was small and laced with concern.

"I don't know. I just know that when she came back, everything had changed and she's starting to become like Alice more and more each day. It's hard to live with her and the person she's becoming is scary. I used to think that I had all the answer, but now I don't and I don't know how to talk her down from this ledge or to get my friend back. This was definitely not how I pictured my senior year going."

* * *

Both girls were quiet for a little while as they finished their cones and Beca broke the silence when she tentatively asked "How's your throat doing? Your voice was kinda scratchy when we were fighting and you couldn't hit that high note at practice. Are you in pain?"

"A little." Chloe shrugged as she wiped her face off with her napkin. "It's getting worse and I should be resting it, but I can't. I can't let you guys down and I can't disappoint Bree."

She played with the frayed edges of her jeans nervously and was quiet for a few moments before she tearfully whispered "This used to be so easy and fun, even with Alice around. Aubrey and I would just rough it together and we used to love dancing and singing and just laughing. It was the best and now…it feels like I'm just sticking around to help her avenge what happened last year."

"If it means anything, I'm glad that you stuck around." Beca reached out for one of Chloe's hands and squeezed it tightly. "All of the other girls love you and you're the reason that half of them are still in the Bellas. You're good at being our leader and you might not be as vocal as Aubrey, but everyone sees how great you are and we really appreciate it."

"I'm glad that you stuck around too. It's nice to have a good friend in the Bellas and I don't know how this year would have gone without you around." Chloe smiled, squeezing Beca's hand and enjoying the soothing contact. "Thank you for sticking with us and not running away. I wish it could be better, but maybe next year it could be fun for you guys. If you stay, that is."

Beca just smiled wanly as the sun sank low and said "Maybe."

* * *

A chill had hit them at just the right moment and Chloe closed the back of the truck, announcing that it was time to go home and face their bitchy roommates. The girls climbed into the trunk and as Chloe turned on the heat and drove towards the college, Beca couldn't help herself as she stared over at the girl. Her face was so sad against the darkening sky behind her window and Beca just wanted to make her feel better, but she wasn't a doctor and couldn't take away the nodes and she certainly wasn't a shrink and couldn't talk sense into Aubrey.

She could be a friend though and she softly asked "Chlo, are you okay? You don't have to go back to your room. You could sleep over, if you want. I'll sleep on the floor or kick Kimmy out, whatever you want."

"I'm fine, Bec. I'm a big girl and this isn't my first argument with Aubrey. In case you haven't noticed, I hate fighting and I can't go to sleep with her angry with me. I have to fix it and I'll be alright", Chloe assured her with a smile.

"Okay, I believe you. Could I ask you something without you getting upset?"

"I guess", Chloe replied while arching an eyebrow. "Besides, we've already fought once today so why not make it twice if you offend me."

Beca rolled her eyes and shot back "It's nothing like that, I just don't want you to cry anymore. I've seen enough of that today and I hate seeing you like that."

"Okay, I promise not to cry. Say whatever you want and I'll keep a stiff upper lip." Chloe smirked at Beca as they turned onto the road that led into town. "Fire away."

Beca laughed and said "You're so melodramatic! I just wanted to know if you would tell me if you were getting your nodes taken out." Beca watched as Chloe's hands gripped the steering wheel a little harder and she knew that she had hit a nerve. She couldn't stop herself though as she continued "I would want to be there with you. I wouldn't want you to be alone for something like that. I've read up on it and it's kinda scary. They literally put a laser down your throat and burn them off."

"That's a nice visual." Chloe shivered, the scary thought now burnt into her mind. "Now I have something to look forward to if I actually get them taken off. That's not happening right now though and hopefully it'll never happen. If it does though, you'd be the first person that I'd tell. I'd expect you there with ice cream and new mixes and magazines. Maybe even to hold my hand and to tell me that my voice doesn't suck, even if it was ruined."

Chloe glanced over at Beca, taking one of her hands and holding it tightly while her voice dropped and she firmly whispered "I'd want you there."

Beca just smiled as Chloe looked back at the road and knew that she would be there in a heartbeat. Wherever she was, in Duluth or Michigan or even in Los Angeles if she got her way, she'd drop anything for her. She wanted to be that person now and it was the difference between staying and running and it was terrifying, but also strangely nice and everything that she had ever wanted. Maybe she wouldn't become her father after all, all thanks to Chloe Beale.

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter has a different tone to it, a little sadder and less lighthearted but I did promise some angst. I like how it shows Beca growing in the flashback, but still being emotionally stunted in the present. That's actually been a running theme through this whole thing and there's a reason for that, but I have to get there first. I really like the idea I have for the next chapter and it will definitely shift back to happier times.**

**Thanks for sticking around for the eternity it took to get this updated. This week is going to be crazy for my feels and I don't know if I can get another chapter out, but hopefully I'll be able to. By the way, 300 followers? Holy shit, that's awesome and I really appreciate it. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Beca Mitchell : Babysitter Of The Ill

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Beca Mitchell - Babysitter Of The Ill**

* * *

~Present~

Chloe wouldn't leave Beca alone as she sunk back onto the bed and wiped her dripping eyes with the back of her hands. She was embarrassed and felt like an idiot for pushing Chloe away, but she really didn't have a choice. She couldn't lose this friendship and as Chloe sat down next to her and rubbed her back soothingly, she broke down into tears all over again. It felt so right and she wanted it _so _badly, but she couldn't let herself have it and it physically made her whole body ache.

Chloe was stroking her hair now and Beca felt her heart melt as she wrapped her arms around her and softly murmured "Bec, please stop crying. It hurts to see you like this and I just want to see you happy and with that stupid little smirk on your face. What's wrong? What did I do wrong?"

Beca sniffled and wiped her eyes with the collar of her t-shirt before she pulled out of Chloe's arms and whispered "You haven't done anything wrong. I'm the thing that's wrong and I'm the problem. I just…I don't think I can do this and I'm sitting here crying like a little girl over it. I wouldn't blame you if you just left."

Chloe smiled and leaned back against the wall, tucking her feet under her thighs and getting comfortable as she planned to spend a lot of time getting to the bottom of this whole thing. She kept rubbing Beca's back and said "Well, you are a girl…a very pretty girl. It's okay to cry too and I totally get if you're overwhelmed or don't want this. I've wanted this whole thing since the moment I saw you. That shower only reaffirmed it and I've pretty much been crushing on you this whole year. I just thought that you should know."

Chloe winked at Beca and Beca felt her pulse quicken and her face break out in a blush at how it made her feel. It was everything that she ever wanted the girl to say to her and it was perfect, but it couldn't happen. Chloe was sitting here and being so great to her, but she had to push her away because she was the world's biggest idiot.

"Chlo, you can't say things like that to me. I can't hear those words coming from you; not like this and not to someone like me."

"Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm just being honest with you and I can't stop telling you the truth. I like you and you're so beautiful and I…I care so much about you." Chloe took Beca's hands in hers and squeezed them firmly. "I can't stop thinking about you and wanting so badly to just kiss you. It's in my head like all the time and I want you to know what you're doing to me. You're driving me crazy, Beca and…I like it. I **want** it and I…I want _you_."

"Chloe, we **can't** do this", Beca replied while shaking her head. "I think all of those things about you too, but we can't be together. It wouldn't work and I don't think that my heart could handle it."

Chloe's eyes were teary now and with her voice cracking with emotion, she whispered "Why, Beca? I promise that I would never hurt you. You know that I would never do anything to make your heart ache or to make you feel bad. You're my best friend and I just want to hold you and kiss you and waste hours with you because there's nowhere else I'd rather be_. _What's so wrong with that?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, Chloe." Beca answered while looking down at her lap. "I love hearing you say those words, but I **know** that I would just end up hurting you in the end. I've told you everything about my father and what he put my mom through and I just…I'm going to end up like him and I don't want you to get hurt when it happens. I'm a wreck, Chloe, and I don't want you to get caught up in it."

Chloe brushed the tears out of her eyes and firmly said "You are **not** your father, Beca. I will say that as many times as you need to hear it until you finally believe it. You would never hurt me and if you think that about yourself and don't see how wonderful you truly are, then you're a fool. I just want you and everything that comes with it and I'm not afraid of what could happen. I **want **it to happen."

Beca couldn't stop herself as the words left Chloe's mouth and leaned forward, pressing her lips against Chloe's and pushing her back against the bed as she finally allowed herself to feel _it. _To get wrapped up in everything and let her body be moved and touched and loved by the most perfect person she had ever known.

It felt amazing.

* * *

_7. I hate that Chloe can never ask for help. She's been there for me since the moment I met her and she's always willing to help the other Bellas, but the one time that she needs something she can't open her mouth. It kind of sucks that she doesn't trust me enough to come to me, but I'm not exactly Miss Congeniality, so I can't really blame her. I just wish that next time…it would be her that asks me to come and not Aubrey because that would be…it would probably be the nicest thing ever._

* * *

~January~

Jesse stood next to Beca as she catalogued CDs and smiled as she distractedly slid the cases on whatever shelves she felt like. He waved a hand in front of her face as she reached over to grab another stack and laughed as she jumped backwards and nearly knocked the whole shelving unit down. She scowled at him as he leaned on the desk behind him and sarcastically asked "Seriously? You could have just said my name if you wanted to get my attention. What do you need, Jesse?"

She was rolling her eyes as he wiped the happy tears out of his own eyes and with a smile he took the cases out of her hands as he replied "Relax. I was just wondering what's up with you today. You seem a little distracted and you haven't said much since we got here. Are you okay?"

"What would give you that idea?" Beca shrugged as she snatched the CDs back from him. "I'm just standing here, doing this stupid job until our shift is over and I can go back to my room to make real music. This is…well it's torture being this bored."

"You've got that right", Jesse replied while pulling his dinner out of his backpack and watching her continue to reshelve CDs. "I was just watching you and you're not really paying attention to what you're doing. You put _Snow Patrol_ in the _Britney Spears_ section and that's kind of a mortal sin in my book. What if someone wanted to hear _Chasing Cars _and instead had to listen to _Oops I Did It Again_? This station has a reputation to uphold and you could ruin it with a mistake like that."

He smirked at her and she allowed herself to loosen up as she put her stack of CDs down and perched on the edge of the desk. He offered her some of his sandwich, but she declined with a wrinkle of her nose and a wave of her hand. He took a huge bite out of it and as she made a face, she pulled her knees up into her chest and mumbled "I guess you're right. I just…I haven't heard from Chloe in like three days and I'm worried that I did something to upset her. She's pretty much the only friend that I have in the Bellas and she wasn't at practice last night and she hasn't called or texted me in days. I don't know what I did."

Jesse swallowed his mouthful of BLT and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he said "Maybe you didn't do anything wrong. I don't know her all that well, but I'm pretty sure that she's not the kind of person to hold a grudge. If she was mad at you, she would have let you know. Maybe you should call her first or drop by after your shift. It couldn't hurt, right?"

"Maybe, but I'm awkward and I would probably make a fool of myself if I just dropped by. Besides, Aubrey is her roommate and I try to make a habit of staying as far away from her as possible." Beca shrugged as she dropped down from the desk, trying her hardest not to think about her arch-enemy.

She turned to grab a stack and as she picked up a handful, her cell phone rang and Jesse picked up the vibrating device as she started to protest. The grin on his face stopped the words from leaving her mouth and he waggled an eyebrow as he held it out to her and quipped "Speaking of the devil. This should be good."

Beca shoved him playfully and dropped the discs onto his lap as she slid her finger across the screen and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Beca?" Aubrey's voice was loud and she sounded frantic as she continued. "I need a favor."

"Really, Aubrey? Hello is usually a nice starter for a conversation, but I guess you just jump right in." Beca smiled and plopped down on the edge of the desk, getting comfortable for what was sure to be an _interesting_ conversation. "What do you need?"

Aubrey sighed and said "_Hello_, Beca. In case you didn't know, which is a possibility since she's basically been a hermit for the past two days, Chloe is really sick. It's some kind of flu and it's gotten worse and I don't want to leave her alone. I also don't want to call off practice and I was wondering if you could come over here and sit with her." Aubrey sighed, hating the idea of having Beca in her room but seeing no other viable option. "I know that you two are close and I don't really trust the other girls enough to leave them alone with my stuff, so could you do it? It would mean you don't have to go to practice and we have a lot of cardio in store for today. Besides, it's not like we'd really miss you if you didn't come."

Beca grinned at Aubrey's insult and joked "A chance to get out of practice and not see you? I'll **definitely** take it. I'll come over after my shift."

"Great! I'll leave the door unlocked. Have fun!"

Beca rolled her eyes as she turned the phone off and softly muttered "What did I just get myself into?"

* * *

Beca slid her phone into her pocket and sat down at the desk with her head in her hands. She ran her hands over her face a few times and with a groan exclaimed "Shit! I don't know how to take care of a sick person. Aubrey is going to kill me if she gets worse and I don't know what I'm doing."

"Really? Have you never been sick?" Jesse asked while looking up from the shelf he was reorganizing after Beca had messed it up earlier. "Just do what your parents would do for you and she'll be fine. It's not that big of a deal."

"Dude, you don't know Aubrey. If I mess this up, she'll rip my vocal chords out and that's not good." Beca paused, taking a sip from her soda that she had purchased before her shift had begun. "Anyway, I always took care of myself as a kid. My parents were usually at work and they'd leave me some soup and medicine. I'd pour it down the sink and drink some Dayquil and sleep the entire day. Can I do that with Chloe?"

"That's so sad Beca and **no**, you can't just knock her out. Just act normal and be nice. Make sure that she drinks something and is comfortable and warm. You could probably bring her some soup or Jell-O and just make sure that she's kind of happy. Can you do that? It's not rocket science…"

It was Beca's turn to roll her eyes and as she joined him in restacking the CDs, she scoffed and replied "I'm not an idiot. Soup, a drink, and a blanket? That's simple. Anything else?"

"Watching my favorite movie always makes me feel better." Jesse shrugged as he asked "Do you have any idea what kind of movies she likes?"

"Not really", Beca answered while shaking her head. "We mostly just talk about music. Knowing Chloe though, her favorite movie is probably animated and definitely Disney. Or maybe something with rainbows and ponies in it. Please don't make me watch cartoons all day."

"It sounds like you have no idea and that's okay. It's just another shot for me to give you a moviecation." Jesse laughed while winking at her grimacing face. _This was going to be good._

He walked over to the media library and scanned over a few shelves until he found just the movie that he was looking for. He grabbed it and bounded back over to Beca with a grin on his face and thrust the case into her hands, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he announced "Here! She'll love this. Just put it in, treat her nice, and have a good time. Maybe it'll even be fun…"

* * *

Beca knocked gently on Chloe's door and then slid into the small dorm room, closing the door behind her and sighing as the heat hit her straight in the face. It was sweltering in the room and Beca knew immediately just why Aubrey was so eager to get to practice. She had only been in there for a few moments and her face already had sweat running down it. She opened the only window in the room and stuck her head out into the brisk January air as she took a few deep breaths. It felt good on her damp skin and she longed to stay there for a little while longer until Chloe broke her spell and groaned as she mumbled "Close the window, I'm freezing!"

Beca stepped away from the window and looked down at Chloe, who was huddled under four blankets and looked terribly pale and gaunt as she tried to pull her blanket over her face. Beca stopped her and slid her hand onto Chloe's forehead, wincing as she felt how burning hot the girls' skin was. She withdrew her hand and exclaimed "Chloe! You're burning up. The last thing you need is for it to get hotter in here. Look at you, you're covered in sweat and you look horrible. Let me take your temperature."

"Hey, Beca." Chloe rolled on her back and moaned as she glanced up at Beca. "I guess Aubrey roped you into staying with me. I told her that I didn't need a babysitter, but I guess you're not so bad."

"I'm not and thanks for the compliment…_I guess_? How do you work this thing?"

Chloe just shrugged and pulled the blankets around her body a little tighter as she watched the younger girl struggle with the thermometer. Beca noticed that Chloe was shivering and pressed her hand back against her forehead, making sure that she really had a fever and that it wasn't just from the heat of the stuffy room. As she leaned down over Chloe and felt her head, Chloe's warm breath tickled her nose and made her smile. She pulled back a little as she continued to fumble with the thermometer and softly said "Your breath smells funny."

Chloe's face somehow managed to become a little paler and with as much sincerity as she could muster, she locked eyes with Beca and murmured "Please don't say like eggs."

"Eggs? Why would you think that?" Beca laughed as she finally turned the thermometer on.

"I dunno." Chloe shrugged as she snuggled into her nest of blankets. "It's a long story."

"I don't even want to know," Beca countered while sliding the thermometer into Chloe's mouth. "I was going to say cough syrup. How much have you taken today?"

Chloe waited until the thermometer beeped and once Beca pulled it out carefully, Chloe blushed and replied "A cup…ple of cups?" Beca scowled at her and Chloe said "What?! It wasn't working…"

"Aubrey isn't doing a very good job of taking care of you. I don't know much about medicine, but I do know that you should only take a little of that stuff." Beca just shook her head as she turned the thermometer off. "Anyway, you have a fever and you need to cool down. Let's take one blanket off and try to get some sleep."

Chloe was about to protest when Beca gave her a warning look and she rolled her eyes as she lifted her arms up and allowed Beca to take a blanket away. Beca threw it onto Aubrey's bed and halfheartedly tucked Chloe in as she settled back against the bed. She was still shivering and Beca felt bad, but knew that she just had the chills and would be in worse shape if she overheated. She pushed some of Chloe's sweaty locks off of her face and sat down next to her as she watched the girl close her eyes. She seemed to calm down and Beca was about to leave her seat when Chloe softly asked "Bec? Can you get me Mr. Snuggles?"

"Mr. Snuggles?" Beca question with a sharp laugh. "Who the hell is Mr. Snuggles?"

"He's my teddy bear. My dad gave him to me after he went on a business trip once and he got him in Japan, so he's super special. I can see you smirking, Beca Mitchell. Don't judge me!" Chloe exclaimed while blushing.

Beca grinned as she spotted the stuffed animal on Chloe's desk and picked it up, studying it for a moment and then walking back over to Chloe. She placed the small bear under the blankets with Chloe and softly assured her with "I won't judge you. Maybe I'll even introduce you to my stuffed frog that I brought from home too. Just promise that you won't tell anyone else. I have a badass reputation to uphold."

Chloe was teetering on the edge of being asleep and awake and clutched the bear close to her chest as she mumbled "I won't. 'Night Beca."

Beca smiled lovingly at the sleeping girl and sank onto Aubrey's bed as she turned on her Mac and whispered "Sleep tight, Chlo. I'll be here if you need anything."

* * *

Beca had almost fallen asleep when she heard Chloe start to moan and struggle with the blankets as she tried to pull herself up. Beca gave her a hand and jumped back as Chloe grabbed the garbage can that was resting on the floor and lost the contents of her stomach into it. Beca hated throwing up and the sight and sound of it and wanted to run from the room, but Chloe was whimpering and she couldn't stop herself as she helped Chloe hold the can with one hand and pulled her hair back with the other. They stood this way for a few minutes as Chloe lost everything that she had in her stomach and then collapsed back onto the bed with a sigh as Beca went to throw the garbage bag away.

When she returned to the room, Chloe was sitting up in the bed and trying to unbutton her night shirt that was drenched with sweat. Beca grabbed a t-shirt from Chloe's drawer and offered it to her as she gave up on unbuttoning the garment. Chloe nodded , taking it from Beca, and weakly wondered "I'm so hot. Why is it so hot in here?"

"You tell me." Beca shrugged as she unbuttoned Chloe's shirt. "It was like that when I came over here. You had the chills and you were really cold. Sweating is good though. It means that your fever is coming down and you'll start to feel better."

She took the damp shirt off of Chloe's body and helped her put the new t-shirt on before sitting next to her on the bed and pointing at the cups of Jell-O she has purchased at the market on campus. Chloe just shook her head and Beca insisted "You have to eat something. How about a drink?" She was met with the same response and as Chloe laid down and put her head on Beca's lap, she just let it go.

She played with Chloe's hair gently as she laid there and after a little while she asked "Do you want to watch a movie? Jesse gave me _E.T._ and he promised me that you would like it."

"I hate that movie. It always scared me when I was little. Let's just sit like this and you can tell me a story." Chloe snuggled into Beca's lap, relaxing in her warmth and comforting presence. "That always made me feel better when I was a kid. Please?"

She stuck out her lower lip playfully and Beca sighed as she mused "How can I say no to a face like that? Besides, you're sick and if it'll make you feel better I'll do it."

Chloe coughed meekly as she flopped onto her back and took Beca's hand from her hair and moved it to her aching stomach. Beca let her hand rest there for a moment before she started to soothingly rub her rumbling stomach and smiled when Chloe seemed to calm down a little and relax. She raised an eyebrow at Beca, begging for the story, and Beca blushed while looking away.

"This is so stupid." Chloe poked her in the side playfully and Beca grinned as she said "Okay, here goes nothing. Don't make fun of me if it sucks." She winked at Chloe who just smiled back weakly and waited for Beca to continue.

_"Once upon a time there was a girl named Beca and she was the raddest DJ in the Village of Lansing. One day the evil king, who was also her father, forced her to travel across the kingdom and go to princess school in the Village of Barden. When she got there, she met two princesses named Chloe and Aubrey and they were the weirdest people she had ever known. The good princess, Chloe, had hair like fire and stalked people in the shower. Aubrey, the bad princess, was known throughout the kingdom for blowing under pressure and for being a terrible dictator. They all loved to sing and had cool ideas, but Aubrey ruled from her throne and shot them all down. One day though, Beca and Princess Chloe put together a badass a cappella set that finally defeated Aubrey and made them both the leaders of the other girls in princess school. They all became good friends and called themselves the Bellas. They won every singing battle together and were the best group in the kingdom and they all lived happily ever after. The end."_

Chloe grinned widely at Beca and Beca couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous this girl made her act. Chloe grabbed one of Beca's hands and threaded their fingers together as she stared up at Beca. "That was beautiful, Beca. The best fairytale **ever**. I can't wait to tell the other girls about it when I can come back to practice."

"You wouldn't dare, Beale. I'll tell everyone about a certain Mr. Snuggles and I can't guarantee that he won't be held hostage as revenge."

"Fine, this is just between you and me. Thank you for the story, Bec." Chloe smiled as she slid her eyes shut. "I know that you don't like doing corny stuff like that and it was really nice. I feel better already and I think I'm going to sleep for a little while. Good night, Beca."

Beca played with Chloe's hair as she fell asleep again and didn't make an attempt to move from the bed as she watched her slowly drift away. Once she was completely asleep, Beca pulled a blanket back over her body and watched her for a few moments before closing her own eyes and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Aubrey came back shortly afterwards and thanked Beca for staying before admonishing her for not giving Chloe water and sending her on her way. Beca hated to leave Chloe when she was this sick, but she didn't want to stay with Aubrey and gladly gathered up her stuff and left. As she walked back to her room though, she started to feel tired and didn't even bother to remove her clothing as she threw her stuff on her desk and passed out on her bed at nine o'clock.

When she woke up the next morning, her head felt like it was in a vice and her throat didn't feel any better. Her whole body ached and as she sniffled and fumbled around for some tissues, she rolled her eyes and mumbled "Damn you, Aubrey. Of course, _I _had to get sick too."

She managed to get dressed and grabbed a quick shower before pulling on her heavy coat and walking over to Chloe's room. She pounded on the door once she got there and when Aubrey opened the door with a scowl, Beca glared at her and announced "Thanks, Aubrey. How did I end up getting sick after only being here for three hours while you've managed to stay well while living with her?"

"I have a good immune system", Aubrey countered while holding open the door. "I've seen the way you two eat and I'm surprised that you're not flat on the floor right now. Come in, you should stay over here if you're sick. Your roommate didn't do anything and she shouldn't get sick too."

Beca shuffled into the room and smiled at Chloe when she noticed that she was sitting up and taking small bites from a Jell-O cup. Chloe frowned when she saw Beca's sleep heavy eyes and red nose and started to apologize. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get you sick."

Beca just shrugged and watched as Aubrey unmade her meticulous bed and motioned for her to lie down. Beca climbed into the bed and raised an eyebrow as Aubrey covered her with a heavy blanket and started to pack a bag.

"I'm going to stay with Sarah down the hall. Her roommate is at home for the weekend and I'll camp out here until you guys are done dying." Aubrey sighed as she shoved some clothes into her gym bag. "This can be like an ICU or something. I'll bring dinner later and if you need anything just call me. Okay?"

Chloe gave her a thumbs up and as Aubrey slid through the door, she hesitated for a moment and said "Beca? If you puke in my bed, I'll probably kill you. Get some rest!"

Beca just shook her head as she pulled Aubrey's blankets around her freezing body and tried to get a little comfortable in the strange place. It was new and different and she felt weird laying in Aubrey's bed, but when Chloe joined her a moment later and told her how sorry she was and hugged her, it didn't feel so bad after all.

* * *

The girls laid in bed together all afternoon and watched movies and listened to music as they moped over their shared illness. By the time four o'clock came around, they were both exhausted and had passed out on Aubrey's bed. Chloe had flung an arm lazily over Beca's back and she was far too tired and achy to push her away. They had no idea that they should expect a guest and as Fat Amy strolled into the room, she spotted them cuddling together and almost dropped the pint of soup from her hands.

She had been recruited by Aubrey to bring them dinner after their mid-afternoon practice and this was definitely not one of the things that she had prepared herself to see when she swung the door open. Beca cracked an eye open as Amy started to laugh and with a scratchy voice mumbled "What? Why are you in here and what are you laughing at? I'm dying over here and it's not funny."

"What have I walked in on?" Amy asked while placing the soup onto Chloe's desk. "Have you been bumping donuts when you're not coughing or barfing?"

"Bumping donuts?" Chloe asked, groaning as she pulled herself up onto her elbow. "Wow, I haven't heard that one since middle school. Why are you here, Amy? Aren't you worried about getting sick?

"I have the best immune system in Tasmania. Besides, the only thing I'm worried about catching from you two is a giant lesbian toner!"

"Dude, get out!" Beca barked out while hurling a pillow at Amy's head. "We're sick and it **is** possible for two friends to lie in a bed and not molest each other. Is there anything else that you need? I _was _sleeping…"

"And now you're not", Amy teased as she sunk down onto Chloe's desk chair. "You missed out on practice and guess who got to sing a solo today? Yours truly! I'm going to crush those aca-bastards when we go to regionals…"

* * *

After listening to Amy ramble on for a full hour about practice and her boyfriends and her misspent youth in Australia, the bubbly blonde finally went home and allowed the girls to get some rest. Chloe didn't leave Beca's side as they slept in Aubrey's bed and it felt nice, normal even. It was nice to have a partner in crime after Aubrey had abandoned her and when Chloe wasn't resting, she spent her time gazing down at Beca and watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. Being sick wasn't all that terrible now and she could spend all night like this.

Aubrey showed up at around nine o'clock and frowned when she stepped into the room and saw the two girls using her bed for their slumber party. She placed some popsicles in the freezer of her mini-fridge and left a bottle of ginger ale on her desk as she sat on Chloe's bed and watched them for a little while. She hated so many things about the little alt girl and seeing her comforting her best friend in the world was a little disconcerting, but she didn't really have a choice in the matter. Chloe _loved _her for some reason and if she wanted to keep Chloe as a friend, she had to keep her mouth shut and allow the weird girl to invade every facet of her life.

It hadn't been enough for her to just take over the Bellas and turn the other girls against her with her promises of awesome remixes and victories with new sets. Now she had to take her best friend too and Aubrey felt a pang of sadness in her chest as she heard Chloe whimper softly and watched as Beca subconsciously reached out for her and held her hand. She had always been Chloe's person and this girl had just slid in and took her spot and it…it hurt more than anything had ever hurt her before.

She gazed at them wistfully for a little while longer and then rose from her bed as she watched Chloe shiver a little. She grabbed her favorite quilt from home that she had stashed in her closet for safekeeping and draped it over both of the girls. It had always kept her warm whenever she was sick and as much as she was hurting right now, she just wanted Chloe to feel better.

She tucked Chloe in a little and hesitated before doing the same for Beca. Once she was satisfied that they would be okay, she grabbed her bag and started to leave the room. Before she could get out though, Chloe woke herself up with a coughing spell and Aubrey couldn't bring herself to leave just yet.

She settled down and breathed easily after a minute though and as Aubrey started to turn the doorknob, Chloe sniffled and asked "Bree? Where are you goin'?"

"I was just checking on you guys." Aubrey softly replied as she froze in the doorway. "How are you feeling? We missed you at practice today."

Chloe snuggled under the warm quilt and replied "My stomach still hurts and my head aches, but I'm doing better. Maybe I can come back to practice tomorrow. Where is this blanket from? It's really nice."

"It's my favorite one from home. I haven't had a chance to use it here since it doesn't get too cold and I figured that you would like it. Don't worry about practice tomorrow either. Just take some time and feel better and then you can come back. I'm going over to Sarah's room, so good night. My phone's on if you need anything."

"Sleep tight, Bree." Chloe nodded as she bit back a yawn. "I love you."

Aubrey just smiled as she lingered in the doorway for a moment and watched as Chloe flung her arm back over Beca's side and fell asleep with their limbs tangled together. The smile turned into a smirk as she left the room and came to the realization that her best friend had it _bad_ for the little DJ. Beca made Chloe happy in a way that she hadn't been able to in almost a year and while it hurt to admit it, deep down it didn't suck too badly to see Chloe like this.

* * *

Later on that evening, Beca woke up at one in the morning and found her whole body shivering as her fever grew. Somehow though, Chloe knew that she was in need of warmth and was hugging her from behind as she slept. It was nice and she felt safe and as she pulled the blankets a little tighter around her body and snuggled closer to Chloe, she couldn't imagine any other place she would rather be on earth.

Leave it to Chloe Beale to make getting sick a pleasant experience.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to write this, I just got a little writer's block and could bring myself to write much of anything. I got a pretty rude review on one of my other stories and I let it shake me up and get to my head and...I don't know why people do the things they do sometimes. I've always been open about responding to PMs or reviews and I'm willing to talk to anyone that has a comment or a complaint, but to be blatantly awful behind an anon name...that kinda sucked. I mean, at least do it on tumblr (mine is the same as my user name on here) so I can kind of explain myself and answer your questions. Anyway, that was a rant and a half and I've received nothing but love for this story and I really appreciate it. I've gotten a lot of really sweet guest reviews and I shouldn't let one idiot get to me, especially since I genuinely like hearing back from you guys and it doesn't matter to me if it's from a user or a guest reviewer.**

**I'm back now and I wanted to explain the time frame for this story a little. I think I'm setting up the flashbacks well in terms of when they're happening, but the present stuff is kind of confusing, at least for me, with when exactly it's taking place. The present scenes are taking place between regionals and sectionals, so sometime in March? The whole time frame from the movie is kinda iffy and I'm just basing everything off of the singing telegrams deleted scene with the holidays. I was getting kind of confused about the whole thing and when different things are happening, but hopefully this explains things a little if you're confused. So, thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows and any feedback you have is appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chloe Beale : Pizza Rolls Thief

**The Ten Things I Hate About Chloe Beale**

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Chloe Beale - Pizza Rolls Thief**

* * *

~Present~

Fifteen minutes had passed and Beca found herself lying on top of Chloe's body, kissing her passionately and running her hands through soft red locks. She had been dreaming of this moment for months and now that it was happening she had to keep telling herself that it was actually real. That Chloe's hands were really running slowly up her back and that her mouth tasted like strawberries and that her body was so intoxicatingly warm that it made her…she felt alive for the first time and it was amazing. **This** was amazing.

It couldn't last forever though and as Beca slipped her leg in between Chloe's and started to unbutton her shirt, Chloe pulled away and smiled up at her shyly. Her face was red from their make out session and her lipstick was smeared across her lips and the hint of sweat on her brow seemed to make her glow as it was backlit by Beca's desk lamp. She looked gorgeous and Beca groaned as she looked down at her and had to stop herself from attacking her lips again.

"Hi", Chloe slurred lazily while flashing a smile at Beca.

Beca chuckled to herself and pulled away from Chloe's face, leaning back on her legs that were straddling Chloe's thighs and just staring down at the girl as she took everything in. After a few moments of just watching her, Beca grinned and said "Hi. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are? It's kind of ridiculous."

"I've heard it from time to time, but never from someone that I care about as much as you. How are you feeling about this whole thing? Do you still like me after that kiss?"

"Like you?" Beca laughed, finding Chloe completely ridiculous sometimes. "God, after that kiss I'm practically in love with you." The words spilt out of her mouth without her really thinking about them and the smile grew on Chloe's face as Beca's eyes widened and she slapped her hands over her mouth. _Oops_.

Chloe didn't freak out at her admission though and instead reached up and started to run her hands up and down Beca's bare arms. The warmth and softness of Chloe's hands touching her sent shockwaves through Beca's body and she couldn't stop herself as she leaned forwards and crashed her lips against Chloe's again. Chloe allowed her to kiss her again but pulled away quickly and panted "Let's take it a little slower. I'm not going anywhere and I hope that you're not either. Can I ask you something, though?"

Chloe's voice had trailed off as the question slipped off of her tongue and Beca paled as she imagined just what Chloe had to say to her. She moved her hands back to Chloe's cheeks and cupped them tenderly before she ran a thumb lazily over her lips and mumbled "You can ask me anything, Chloe. I'm not going anywhere either."

"Good. I just...wanted to know why you've been so weird towards me over these past few weeks. It's just that we were really close and then regionals and that fight happened and I know that things haven't been the same between us. We're kissing now and that's **really** nice, but I want to clear that up before I let you take my shirt off. It feels _so_ good, but I do have _some _standards and I'd kinda like to know if you're upset before you put the moves on me. So, spill your guts and we can continue this make out session."

Beca blushed, having been unaware that Chloe had even noticed the cold shoulder that she had given to her over the last few weeks, and slowly slid off of her body and stood up next to the bed. She played with a frayed edge on her hoodie and looked down at Chloe, who was sitting up now and hugging her knees into her chest. She looked like she was setting herself up to be let down again and Beca felt tears rush to her eyes at the sight. She hated that she brought any kind of sadness to her sweet face and she didn't want to disappoint her. That had been what kept her lips away from hers for so long and she wasn't going to blow it. She couldn't blow it.

Beca flashed Chloe a tight smile as she sunk onto the corner of her desk and mumbled "There's nothing wrong. I'm fine and you're just imagining it. Nothing has changed between us, or at least nothing up until tonight. You must be crazy or stressed out with school or Aubrey, because we're fine."

"First we kissed and now you're lying to me." Chloe shook her head with a tight smile."We're progressing pretty nicely for our first night, but that's alright. I think I'm going to head back to my dorm now. Tonight was great and I loved that you kissed me and told me how you feel and I don't want…we need to have a conversation that you don't want to have and I know that it's going to hurt and I just want to enjoy what happened tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

Chloe neared the door and Beca ran a hand through her tousled locks, frustrated because she wanted Chloe to stay and upset because she **had** been right. She _really_ didn't want to talk about what had been pulling them apart, but she had to if she wanted to keep Chloe around. Beca bit her lip as Chloe's hand closed around the doorknob and as she started to slide the door open, Beca leapt from her desk and exclaimed "Don't go! Close the door and sit down and I'll tell you what's wrong." Chloe slowly started to turn around and Beca breathed a sigh of relief before she continuted. "Just...promise me that you won't hate me after I'm done, okay?"

"I could never hate you. Maybe if you were like a murderer or something, but not over this. What's going on?" Chloe asked, walking away from the door and back towards the bed.

Beca watched as Chloe sat back down on the edge of her bed and as she walked over and joined her, she felt the blood rush to her face and sweat start to bead on her forehead. It had been keeping her awake at night and occupying her mind since Chloe drunkenly broke the news to her and Beca knew now that it would hurt now more than ever. That knowing that Chloe cared about her would make losing her even harder. That she didn't want her to leave Barden and that she wanted to hold her forever.

It had taken what had seemed like a lifetime for one perfect moment between the two of them and now…it would all be over when she opened her mouth. Beca swiped away at a tear that had somehow managed to slip down her cheeks and shook her head as her face burnt with embarrassment. _One hour into a relationship and she was already losing it. Nice job, Mitchell. Nice job._

* * *

_8. I hate that Chloe lets Aubrey walk all over her. She's co-captain of the Bellas and everyone respects her more than they could ever respect the Aca-Bitch, but that doesn't matter to Aubrey. She doesn't let Chloe get a say in anything and I know that it bugs her, but she won't say a word and she just takes it. It hurts me to even watch it and I know that one day she's going to explode and I hope that I'm not there for it, because I'm pretty sure that she's going to murder her when it happen. Instead, I'll just handle the messy stuff first, like the very drunk Chloe Beale who is currently passed out on my bed. If this keeps up though, I may have to kill Aubrey myself, because Chloe + alcohol = one hot, giant mess._

* * *

~February: Two Weeks Until Regionals~

The girls were practicing for the millionth time for regionals, which were in two weeks, and Beca was consciously having to control her eyes from closing shut as they launched into _Eternal Flame_ for the sixth time that practice. She had no problem with _The Bangles_, heck _Walk Like An Egyptian _was one of her favorite songs of all time, but if she had to hear Chloe sing this stupid song one more time…she was pretty sure that she would hop on a plane and find Susanna Hoffs and punch her in the face.

The restless energy in the room let her know that she wasn't alone in this feeling and as Chloe reached the chorus, Beca flashed Aubrey a dirty look and purposely missed her note. Aubrey caught it immediately and stopped Chloe before moving from their formation and standing in front of Beca. She moved close to her and once their faces were inches apart, she gave Beca a deadly scowl and snapped "Seriously, Beca? Did you just mess us up on purpose?"

"No, Aubrey, I would never do a thing like that", Beca sarcastically replied while shuffling her feet and biting back a smirk. "I just missed my note. Maybe it's because we've done this song over and over since practice started and I'm getting bored. I think we're all kind of bored with it at this point."

Beca looked around at the other girls, hoping for some kind of back-up and getting none. They all looked away from her, knowing that Aubrey was tense and could easily fly off the handle, and Beca just rolled her eyes as she reached for her water bottle. After taking a long sip from it, she cocked an eyebrow and murmured "Ok, maybe not. Still, can we take a break?"

Aubrey just shook her head as she moved back to her place next to Chloe and said "Absolutely not. Do that again and you're out of the Bellas." When Beca laughed, having heard this threat a million times, Aubrey scowled and warned "Don't laugh at me, Beca. I mean it this time!"

"Aubrey, don't", Chloe soothed while stepping towards her. "She's right and we're all really bored with this song. Let's just take a break and do something else. Maybe we could try _Turn The Beat Around_. I've been dying to hear Amy's solo and it could be nice to run through that a few times. Right, guys?"

The other girls nodded and murmured their approval and Amy stepped forward with an eager smile on her face as she anxiously bounced back and forth on her feet. She smiled widely at Aubrey and started to ramble erratically, her excitement almost too much to control. "Yeah, Aubrey. It would be **amazing**! I've been working on this really hot dance move that I used to do back when I went clubbing in Australia and it used to bring the house down. Maybe we could incorporate it into the set. It's this thing where you tear your shirt open and it's really-"

"First of all, no one is tearing anything open. We're ladies, not strippers, and that won't fly at regionals. Secondly, I have the pitch pipe and I say what we sing and we're doing _Eternal Flame_. If anyone has a problem with that, they can leave."

When no one moved, Aubrey shot a smug smile towards Chloe and announced "Good. Chloe, start us out from the top."

Beca glimpsed over at Chloe and frowned when she saw that her face was flushed with embarrassment from being shut down by Aubrey. The other girls seemed to notice it too and were shooting her sympathetic looks as she started to sing. Beca felt a sudden surge of anger from the way Aubrey had treated her, but didn't dare make a move as her part kicked in and she hit her not perfectly. Still, how could she let Aubrey treat her friend like that? What kind of friend was she?

_"One that valued their vocal chords…"_, she thought bitterly as they launched into the chorus.

* * *

Practice ended after another hour and Beca wanted to follow after Chloe as she separated from the group, but Cynthia Rose was in her face asking her about headphones and she couldn't get her to shut up. As she listened to Cynthia debate between three different kinds of headphones, Beca cut her off and said "Just get the _Beats_. They're good for just listening to music and you'll look hot in them. I have to go."

She pulled away from Cynthia Rose and looked around for Chloe, but couldn't find her anywhere. Stacie caught her looking around and with a grin asked "Looking for your girlfriend? She's outside with Aubrey and from what I heard, they're having a huge fight. Want to go watch?!"

"Seriously?" Beca questioned while making a face. "Stay in here and back off a little. It's not a movie or something, God."

Beca pushed away from her and walked through the double doors that led outside, standing on the top of the steps as she took in the scene in front of her. Aubrey was pale and yelling at Chloe, who had tears rolling down her face and wasn't saying a word. Beca didn't know what to do and just stood there as she listened in on the conversation they were having oblivious to her presence.

"Why do you question me in front of all of them?" Aubrey questioned while shaking her head. "You're turning them against me and I don't understand. Do you _want_ the pitch pipe? Do you think you could do a better job of leading them when you can't even sing? Who would take you seriously?"

"I can't believe you!" Chloe spat out with her mouth dropping open. "I can't control my nodes and I'm sorry if it pisses you off that I can't do as many solos as you had planned, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not turning them against you either; you're doing it yourself."

"Sure, it's all on me. I'm the bad guy because I want us to win. That's really cute, Chloe. What else have you got?" Aubrey smirked at her, her annoyance coming to a head as she dared Chloe to fire back. "Maybe I'm being too rough on Beca or pushing them too hard with the rehearsals. It's always the same from you and I'm getting tired of it."

"Aubrey, I'm not against you! You're my best friend and I don't want to see you put yourself through all of this stress to get us ready. I'm co-captain, but you don't treat me like it and it makes me…it **hurts** when you just brush me aside and ignore my ideas. I love a cappella and these girls, but I hate coming to practice and doing all of this now and I never thought that would happen. You're ruining this for me, just like…"

She trailed off before she could continue and Aubrey paled as she murmured "Just like last year? That's what you meant to say, right Chloe" When Chloe didn't say anything, Aubrey blushed and felt the tears brim in her eyes as she exclaimed "God, I knew it! You're just like **them** and I've been so stupid this whole time! I may have ruined things for us last year, but you're certainly taking care of us this year. Maybe you should just quit now so we won't have to listen to your voice crack each time you hit the high notes. Better yet, stay in the group and I'll let Amy tear her shirt open at regionals so it'll distract the judges from just how much we suck. Sound good?"

The tears were pouring down Chloe's face now and she simply shook her head as she caught Beca standing on the stairs and ran away from the pair. Aubrey was breathing heavily as she watched her friend bolt and Beca desperately wanted to run after her, but knew that Chloe was upset and that there was nothing she could do to change things between her and Aubrey. There was too much unrest between the two and from what she had heard in their argument, it was quickly coming to a head.

"What do you want, Beca?" Aubrey snapped when she spotted her standing on the steps. "Do you want to rub it in a little or complain about something else that I'm doing wrong? Please, fire away. It's not like I haven't heard it before."

Beca just shook her head and said "I can't believe you just said that to her. She can't control her nodes and she's actually trying to keep us together, but you're making it **impossible**. She's the only person that has your back and you just yelled at her like that. You're not going to stop until all of us quit and then you'll have nothing left. I'm leaving now."

As she started to walk away, Beca saw the one thing that she had never imagined happening in her life. Aubrey Posen was freaking crying and Beca just rolled her eyes as she lingered on the steps for a moment, watching her in disbelief. When Aubrey ran away from the building a moment, Beca went back into the room and grabbed her stuff to leave. As she put her jacket on though, a strange realization when through her head that stopped her in her tracks. _She actually cared about Aubrey Posen and felt bad for her_. _What the hell was happening to her?_

* * *

Beca was lounging on her bed hours later when her phone started to ring. As she picked it up and examined the screen, she frowned when she saw Stacie's name on it. The girl never called her and Beca rolled her eyes as she answered the call and heard people cheering and loud music blaring in the background. She pressed the phone closer to her ear and said "Stacie? What's going on? Where are you?"

"Beca? Hey could you come over here and get Chloe?" Stacie held a hand over her free ear, shouting over the music as she tried desperately to hear her. "She's really drunk and she asked me not to call Aubrey, so I'm calling you. I wouldn't usually call, but she's pretty wasted and I don't want someone to mess with her. You know?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way." Beca nodded as she started to pull her shoes on. "Just make sure she doesn't get into any trouble before I get there. I don't want Aubrey to murder me or something. I'll be there in ten."

* * *

Beca walked into the packed sorority house and didn't have to venture too far into the crowds of people to see Chloe doing a keg stand. Two guys were holding her up and one of them was staring down at her breasts as she gulped down beer. Beca shook her head in disbelief at the situation Chloe had gotten herself into as she pressed forward and saw Stacie standing next to them. She shoved Stacie's shoulder as they put Chloe down and exclaimed "What the hell, Stacie?! I thought you were watching her. _This_ is not watching her, especially if she's drunk."

Stacie rolled her eyes as she leaned into one of the guys that was keeping Chloe upright and affirmed "I **am** watching her. I was watching her doing an _amazing_ keg stand with Jake and Rick! They're from Alpha Kappa Tau and they're so cute! Do you want to do one, Beca? They won't drop you, I promise."

"We definitely won't", one of the guys drawled, winking at Beca and motioning for her to step forward. "Come on, it'll be fun…"

Beca sighed and rolled her eyes at the guy's blatant attempt to put his hands on her. Chloe was wavering on her feet and clutching the other guy and Beca knew that she had to get her out of here before she made a huge mistake. She wrapped an arm around Chloe's back and firmly ordered "Come on Chlo; let's get you out of here and away from these assholes."

Chloe smiled up at her grabbed her body, almost toppling over as she slurred "Beca! You're so blurry! Why are you spinning?"

Beca ignored her question and started to pull her away when the guy that was holding her yelled "Hey! Where are you going with her? We were having fun!"

"Getting her so drunk that she can't even walk was fun? What were you planning on doing? Taking her upstairs and having sex with her? Find someone else to take advantage of, asshole." Beca shook her head, wrapping her arms tighter around Chloe and starting to move her.

"No one was taking advantage of anyone." The guy stepped towards her, a glint shining in his eyes and the tone of his dropping as he quickly became a menacing obstacle. "It's not my fault if she gets wasted and falls on top of me upstairs. Now, let her go and run back to your little dorm room. What is a nerd like this doing at this party anyway? What are you, a narc?"

Beca rolled her eyes and started to walk away with Chloe, but the guy wasn't having it. He reached out to grab Chloe and Beca turned around quickly, glaring at the guy and slugging him in the face as he touched Chloe's shoulder. Blood spurted out of his nose as he collapsed to his knees and everyone turned to look at him as he howled in pain. _Oh God, not again. _

Beca took this as a cue to get out of there and pushed Chloe through the people and outside. As the girl leaned heavily on her and Beca practically carried her as they walked back to her dorm, Chloe played with her hair and was in awe as she asked "Did you really punch another guy at Stacie's place? They're not going to let you back in there."

"That's a good thing, Chloe." Beca sighed as she pushed the drunk girl through the quad. "You do stupid things when we go over there. Now, keep quiet or I'm leaving you here for campus security to find you."

Chloe laughed as she wrapped an arm around Beca's back and mumbled "Boo, you jerk. You **like** this and I'm a _lovely_ drunk." When Beca just shook her head, Chloe giggled and asked "Do you have pizza? Let's stop and get some pizza. I'm **so **hungry!"

Beca smiled as she spotted her building in the distance and replied "No pizza tonight. If you promise to be quiet, Kimmy Jin has some _Pizza Rolls_ in her freezer and I'll steal them for you. You have to promise to be good though because she's not going to be happy when she sees us back here."

"I promise." Chloe smiled as they started down the hill that led to the residence halls. "God, I **love** Kimmy Jin. She always has the best food."

"Seriously?" Beca almost dropped Chloe as the words slipped out of her mouth. "How much did you have to drink?"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Beca stepped into the shower and held out a sweatshirt for Chloe to put on. Chloe pulled the towel away from her chest and smiled up at Beca who stared at her for a moment and then quickly looked away. Chloe yanked the sweatshirt down over her head with clumsy hands and announced "So, we meet again in the shower. We really need to stop doing this." As Beca blushed and shook her head at her, Chloe raised an eyebrow with a predatory smile and teased "I'm starting to think that you **like **this. I don't blame you, I have a hot bod."

"You need to stop finding a way into my building then." Beca smirked as she handed Chloe some pajama bottoms. "You get a pass this time because I kinda forced you in here, but why were you the whole way across campus the first time? Doesn't your building have showers?"

Chloe shrugged as she stepped into the pants and began to explain. "It does. They put time limits on the showers in my dorm though and yours doesn't have them. How does this school expect me to hook up with Tom if we can only get a shower for ten minutes? He's good, but not that good."

Beca took Chloe's dirty clothes from her and flung them over her shoulder as Chloe stepped out of the shower. The clothing smelt like a brewery and as she wrapped an arm around Chloe's back and guided her out of the shower room, she mused "I'm sure that your sex life is a **pressing** concern for the university. Now, Kimmy Jin knows that your sleeping over and she's not happy about it, so be _extra_ nice to her. Okay?"

"Sure!" Chloe exclaimed as she flung an arm around Beca's waist. "I'm always nice and she **loves** me. I'm sure of it."

* * *

"I **hate** your friends, Beca." Kimmy snarled as she glared over at Chloe's body that was slumped across Beca's bed. "I left the room to get my laundry for five minutes and you let her eat my freaking _Pizza Rolls_! Do I have to write my name on everything in the refrigerator now?"

"No, that's crazy. I'm sorry about the _Pizza Rolls_, Kimmy. She's just really drunk and she had a bad day and I let her have them. I'll buy you another box tomorrow."

Kimmy raised an eyebrow at Beca and Beca sighed before offering "Two boxes?"

Kimmy shook her head and Beca said "Okay, fine. Three boxes and a tub of _Ben & Jerry's;_ that's my final offer. You have to let her stay the night though. She's upset and I don't want her to go back to her room for a while. Her roommate sucks right now and I just want to keep her here."

As Chloe moaned and grabbed at her head as she woke up from her slumber, Kimmy smirked and admitted "Well, she is kinda pathetic so I guess she can stay. I'll stay at Amy Chen's tonight so you guys can talk. I hate drunk people and you should probably get over there because it looks like she's about to puke." As Beca looked over at Chloe, who was clutching her stomach and dry heaving, Kimmy grinned and exclaimed "Have fun!"

* * *

Beca stroked Chloe's sweaty hair as she pulled the garbage can away from her mouth and said "I think that's all of it. It **has **to be all of it or I'm going to start to wonder if you secretly have two stomachs or something. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Chloe nodded as she laid her head onto Beca's pillow. "I'm pretty sure that I'm done and I just want to lie down for a little. My head is killing me."

Beca just nodded as Chloe closed her eyes and took the can out to the dumpster outside to dispose of Chloe's vomit. When she returned to her room, Chloe had flipped over onto her back and was looking at her cell phone. She glanced up at Beca as she walked into the room and softly murmured "Bree's called me fifteen times since practice. She probably just wants to yell at me some more. I hate her sometimes."

"She had no right to say what she did to you today", Beca empathized as she slid the phone from Chloe's hands. "You can't control your nodes and she needs to realize that and stop blaming you. She can't control her stomach and you don't blame her for that, so she needs to grow up. Can I ask you something?"

Chloe nodded as she swiped a hand across her aching eyes and Beca handed her a water bottle from the refrigerator as she sat next to her on the bed. Chloe took a long sip of the cool liquid and replied "Sure, ask me anything."

"Why were you drinking tonight?" Beca asked softly as she looked down at her lap. "If she drives you this crazy then you should tell her about it. Stand up for yourself and quit letting her treat you like this. It's not fair and a lot of us are getting tired of it."

"I can't. She's my best friend and she drives me insane sometimes, but I hate having her mad at me. It's easier to just let her control everything than to have a night like tonight." Chloe shook her head as she handed the bottle back to Beca, visibly upset as she tried not to think about their fight. "Besides, she doesn't mean half of what she says when she gets upset and I'll come back to my room tomorrow and she'll apologize and everything will be okay. This isn't the first time that this has happened anyway; it's just the first time that we've had an audience."

Beca blushed and softly apologized "Sorry about that. Stacie told me that you guys were fighting and I just wanted to make sure that you guys didn't kill each other or something. So, why did you go over to Stacie's and get drunk? Was it because of Aubrey?"

Chloe shrugged and confessed "Kinda. I'm just…this is my senior year and nothing has gone to plan so far. My voice sucks and Bellas isn't fun anymore and Aubrey…we were going to live together next year for grad school but I just have to get away, you know?"

Beca hesitantly nodded and paled when Chloe continued "It's stupid, but I've applied to like five different grad schools and none of them are around here. I always pictured myself staying here and living in a little apartment with Aubrey and just having fun, but I can't do this anymore. I still applied to Barden and I got in, but that's like the worst case scenario."

Beca's mouth suddenly felt like it was full of cotton and she swallowed a few times before she softly asked "Where else did you apply?"

Chloe played with her hands as she squeezed her teary eyes shut and softly replied "NYU, Johns Hopkins, and Pitt in the north. Um…UCLA and USC out west. I really want to go to a school up north though. They're all really good medical schools and maybe it would be nice to go somewhere a little different. Somewhere with actual seasons and snow and just…away from here."

Tears flooded Beca's eyes as the realization sunk in as Chloe's voice trailed off. She was **leaving**. She had always imagined that Chloe would stay and that they would still hang out and that she would help with the Bellas, but she was going away and that was…it was terrifying.

Chloe squeezed her hand as she drifted off to sleep and Beca blinked her eyes rapidly as she whispered "I wish you would stay."

Chloe smiled a little as she slipped away and murmured "Me too."

The words cut through Beca like a knife and she squeezed her eyes shut as the tears wanted desperately to slide from her eyes. It figured that she would fall in love with the one person that was leaving. No one ever stuck around for her and why should she think that Chloe was any different? Everyone she loved always left in the end.

* * *

Beca was watching Chloe sleep out of the corner of her eye and messing around on her laptop when her phone started to ring. It was late, almost two in the morning, and she sighed when she saw that Aubrey was calling. She answered it anyway and softly greeted her with "Aubrey, what do you want? You **do** realize that it's super late, right?"

Aubrey's voice sounded distant and wavering, almost like she was on a boat that was rocking back and forth, and Beca swore for a moment that she could make out a sniffle. She was right when a moment later Aubrey sniffled loudly and hiccupped into her ear. Beca glared over at Chloe for putting her in this situation and softly asked "Aubrey? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm **not**. Beca, do you know where Chloe is? I know that she was at Stacie's party, but she never came back. I've called her all night and no one has seen her and I'm worried. Those parties are always full of creepy frat guys and what if...?" A sob broke loose from Aubrey's throat and she tearfully continued. "I'm scared, Beca. This isn't like her."

"I know", Beca admitted as she looked back down at Chloe's sleeping body.

"I just don't want anyone hurting her." Aubrey sniffled as her tears let up a little. "It's not safe at those parties and what if someone has her or is taking advantage-"

"Hey, don't think like that. I have her here with me. Stacie called me because she was really drunk at the party and I brought her back here. She's okay though and she'll be back in the morning. She just needed to be alone for a little bit."

Aubrey sniffled and said "Oh, thank God. I just was really worried and I should have figured that she would be with you. She really likes you, you know?"

Beca shook her head and replied "She's my friend and I don't treat her like garbage. Maybe you should try that when she does come back so this doesn't happen again."

Aubrey was crying now and gasped out "I know. I screwed up and she must hate me now. What if she quits the Bellas over this? What will we do then? We _can't_ win without her."

"I know. She's not going to quit though and she doesn't hate you. She's just upset, but it'll blow over tomorrow when you guys talk. Just be nice to her and it'll be okay. You know how Chloe is and she would never hold this against you. So, please stop crying because this is getting kinda weird."

Aubrey laughed softly as she pulled herself together and said "Yeah, I guess it is. I'm going to go now, but keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn't die or anything."

"Die?" Beca questioned with a snort. "I'm pretty sure that she won't do that when she's just laying here on my bed sleeping, but I **will** keep an eye on her. Any other demands, Aubrey?"

"No, I guess that's sufficient. Thank you for picking up my phone call, by the way. No one else has and you were kind of my last resort."

"Well, I didn't want you to kill me tomorrow at practice", Beca shot back while rolling her eyes. "We should really end this conversation now before you keep insulting me and say something that I really don't like. I'm hanging up…"

"Ok, I'm hanging up too." She paused for a moment and Beca was about to ask if she was still there when Aubrey softly continued "Thank you for being there for her. You're a good friend Beca and she…she really cares about you. Good night."

She hung up the phone and Beca stared down at hers for a moment before placing it on her desk. She closed her laptop and was about to lie down next to Chloe, but stopped and just stared at her for a moment. Even though her makeup had washed off in the shower and her face was pale from being so drunk, she looked absolutely gorgeous and Beca felt hopelessly in love.

She thrust those thoughts into the back of her mind though as she flipped off the lamp next to her bed and pulled the blankets over her body. If Chloe really liked her as much as Aubrey said, then she wouldn't be leaving in the fall.

Beca never asked for this connection when she started out here and tried at all costs to avoid it, but that girl had burst into her life and made her place known. Beca didn't want her to leave and as the tears stung her eyes and she squeezed them shut, she regretted even getting close to her in the first place. Why did everyone she love have to let her down in the end?

_Love_. When the hell had she fallen in love with Chloe Beale? She had gone straight from crush to head over heels in love and that…that was the worst thing of all. She could deal with Chloe being gone, but not the ensuing heartbreak and she didn't know what to do. That list she had prided herself on hadn't prevented this and now…she was a goner.

Still, she couldn't wait to add this to that stupid list in the morning. Just another reason why she was the world's biggest idiot, because falling in love with Chloe Beale? Only self-destructive dumbasses did that. _Well, call me queen of the dumbasses then because I'm in love. Fuck._

* * *

**A/N: Surprise! I did not disappear off of the face of the earth...though it did seem tempting for a little bit. Just some writer's block, but that's normal I think. At least I hope it is. If you want proof of this trip into the rabbit hole, feel free to check out my tumblr and see my descent into shitty gif making and rambly text posts. It's a hot mess...**

**Moving on, holy balls 400 followers! I love all of you and I'm really psyched about where this fic is going. Lots of angst and an ending that I adore, plus a super bad ass scene with Aubrey quoting Tyra Banks at Beca. I came up with that over hush puppies at LJS and literally went crazy for a second as it all came together. My finest moment ever came seconds later when I sent myself a rambling voice mail so I wouldn't forget it. I'm excited and I hope you are too. I'm also rambling like an idiot, but I love this story and the support is AMAZING! Thanks for reading!**


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